Hero's walk WWI and WWII Gravinnestraat 9

The Heroes' Walk in Ingelmunster tells the story of several freedom fighters with a striking story from one of the world wars via various locations.
Along the route, which is just over 4 km long, you will stop at nine facades. The memorial plaques always have a QR code with which you can read the extensive stories of all the heroes.

At Gravinnestraat 9, former café het Damberd where the town hall was located during WWI, there is a memorial plaque for REMI CALLENS (1851-1933).

In the brochure "Heldenwandeling WOI en WOII", published by the municipal council of Ingelmunster, Kurt Windels, we find the following information:

"Remi Callens, farmer at the Steenovenhof in Gentstraat, was mayor during the first years of the war and ensured that the demands of the German occupier did not cause too much damage to the population of Ingelmunster. On 11 November 1916, he was dismissed as mayor because he ignored the orders of the Ortskommandantur. Callens had refused to provide the names of 50 workers to carry out military works. When the German government first called up, not a single Ingelmunster resident had volunteered. Remi Callens was banished to a labour camp in Germany.

Even before the armistice of 11 November 1918, he was back in Ingelmunster and led the municipal council of 29 October 1918, the first since the departure of the Germans on 14 October. He was honoured for his commitment to the population during the difficult war years. In his profession as a farmer and position as mayor, Callens sat on various committees that favoured the post-war agricultural recovery in the region."

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Wim Wouters