Memorial Ottevaere Ooigem

At the Ooigem cemetery there is a memorial for Ivo Camiel Ottevaere, placed on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death.

There are also two information boards, briefly summarized below:
"September 13, 1915. An English plane was in distress and crashed near the forest of Ooigem. It included British pilot Captain Mulcahy-Morgan of No 6 Sqn RFC and co-pilot Vande Leene from Kortrijk. They were very hurt. They brought pigeons for the spy service, as well as papers and a large sum of money intended for the spy service near Kortrijk. Camiel, a single butcher of 61 and a passionate pigeon fancier, was one of the many curious people who came to watch after the crash. He received some important documents from the Belgian co-pilot Vande Leene and at his request he released the surviving pigeons.
One of the pigeons was shot by the Germans and because of the note on the paw "Fliegers fell in Oyghem" they started a large-scale investigation in Ooigem. They ended up with pigeon fancier Ottevaere, who was accused of cooperating with the spy service. He was arrested and spent more than a year in prison in Ghent.
On September 21, 1916, he appeared before the German Field Court, which convicted him of espionage. On October 31, 1916, Ottevaere was shot by the Germans in Ghent."

On the second information board we read that Camiel felt abandoned and alone. For a long time he thought that things would turn out fine… on the eve of his death he realized that it was over. During his captivity he wrote letters to his family. His last letter was the most moving.

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