RIHA Journal 0163 | 27 June 2017 Nationalism and Commemoration in Belgian Military Cemeteries Karen Shelby Abstract This article addresses the commemorative practices in Flanders rom !orld !ar I throu"h !orld !ar II# In particular$ the paper investi"ates the challen"es aced %& the primar& %elli"erent countries a ter !!I' How to commemorate the dead soldiers that lay alon" trench lines rom )el"ium into France* Flemish and )el"ian nationalist concerns a+ected the implementation o post(ar national cemeteries# The article examines %oth the material em%odiment o !orld !ar I - or instance the heldenhulde.er/en - and the meanin"s attri%uted to commemoration and remem%rance o the war dead# Contents Introduction The Bel"ian Front: The Foundation for Dou%le Commemoration The Heldenhulde.er/: A Martyr3s Tom%stone for the Flemish Dead A State54ponsored Memorial Practice T(o Grave Mar/ers for the Bel"ian Dead Heldenhulde.er/en outside the con8nes o the Militar& Cemeteries Flemish Veterans o the Eastern Front: The Flemish Le"ions 1onclusion Introduction <1= There is a pluralit& in the memories o the 7reat !ar in )el"ium# It is the ra"mentation o several memor& communities$ %etween Flanders and )el"ium and (ithin the Flemish communit&$ that have served as o%stacles or a cohesive national commemoration o !orld !ar I throu"hout the past centur&#1 The "ravestones or the Flemish dead$ in cemeteries also dedicated to !orld !ar II$ provide a tan"i%le connection to a distant past$ %ut a past %& which man& in the re"ion (ere deepl& a+ected# In immediate post5!orld !ar I commemorative practice there was no dominant discourse o national patriotism# Flemish nationalism succeeded in maintainin" its visi%ilit& in Francophone )el"ium throu"h the raisin" and maintenance o the heldenhulde.er/en$ uni>ue tom%stones desi"ned durin" the war to mar/ the graves o famin"ant (Flemish5minded) soldiers# 1 )runo )envindo and :vert 6eeters, 4cherven van de oorlo"# 0e striBd om de herinnerin" aan !C II$ 1DEF-2010$ Ant(erp 2012# RIHA Journal 0163 | 27 June 2017 <2= A ter the 7reat !ar$ each o the primar& %elli"erent countries was aced (ith how to commemorate the dead soldiers that lay alon" trench lines from Bel"ium into France# For )el"ium$ several actors a+ected the implementation o post(ar national cemeteries# This article addresses a histor& o the commemorative practice or the dead rom Flanders throu"h the rise and all o a Flemish nationalist sentiment# It examines %oth the material em%odiment o and the meanin" people have drawn rom memor& and commemoration o !orld !ar I throu"h Flemish and )el"ian nationalist concerns#2 <3= 4ince war o ten serves as an impetus to %oth rein orce ideas o nationalism and >uestion existin" political power structures$ the ormation o )el"ian cemeteries provides an interestin" case stud& on the ne"otiation o nationalist issues %etween the )el"ian "overnment and the Flemish as well as (ithin the Flemish communit&# The presence and a%sence o Flemish %odies in the material spaces o )el"ian commemoration$ in %oth state5sponsored militar& and local communit& cemeteries$ has served a cultural and political a"enda or nearl& one hundred years# This article is a stud& o cultural and national identit& throu"h the examination o the heldenhulde.er/en - the most iconic sym%ol o Flemish nationalism arisin" rom !orld !ar I# It addresses a histor& o )el"ian militar& cemeteries in li"ht o the rise and all o a Flemish presence within )el"ium$ loo/in" at the manner in (hich the Flemish were commemorated a ter the war %oth (ithin and outside o the oGcial )el"ian system#3 It concludes %& contrastin" the commemoration o the ?amin"ant soldiers o the 7reat !ar to that o the Flemish nationalist casualties - the 1olla%orators – who fou"ht on the Eastern Front durin" World War II# <E= Flemish commemoration was not necessaril& in opposition to )el"ian practice$ E %ut post(ar memorials and rituals enacted in Flanders$ as opposed to in )russels or !allonia$ pointedl& invo/ed and continuall& re5invo/e a Flemish perspective on the war experience# The 7reat !ar was a turnin" point or a Flemish (nationalistA discourse that had %een simmerin" under the sur ace o )el"ian politics since the late nineteenth centur&# It %rou"ht to the ore the ri t %et(een the 1atholic and the ;i%eral Flemish5minded that resulted in two %ranches o the nineteenth centur& 2 A lon"er version o this paper (as pu%lished as H)el"ian or Flemish' Iational Identit& in the !orld !ar I )el"ian 2ilitar& 1emeteries", in' Journal o First !orld !ar 4tudies 3J6 (201FA$ 2F7-276# In di+erent conte,ts, the heldendhulde.er/en have %een address in Karen 4hel%&$ Flemish Iationalism and the 7reat !ar' The 6olitics o 2emor&$ 9isual 1ulture and 1ommemoration$ ;ondon 201E$ and H;ittle Flemish Heroes Tom%stones' The 7reat !ar and 21st 1entur& )el"ian 6olitics", in' Remem%erin" the 7reat !ar$ ed# )art Liino$ ;ondon 201E$ 1M6-206# 3 2aBor Ro% Trou%le&n$ the :,pert o the First !orld !ar at the Ro&al Arm& 2useum$ )russels (and ormer Director o the )el"ian !ar 7raves 1ommissionA$ is currentl& (ritin" a %oo/ on a complete histor& o the )el"ian 2ilitar& cemeteries. E 9alerie Rosou, and ;aurence 9an Ypersele$ "The )el"ian Iational 6ast' )et(een 1ommemoration and 4ilenceH$ in' 2emor& 4tudies FJ1 @2012A$ EF5F7$ here E7# RIHA Journal 0163 | 27 June 2017 Flemish 2ovement# Cri"inall& a cultural movement$ %& 1890 the 2ovement %roadened to advocate a Flemish )el"ian su%5nationalism - a pro5Flemish plat orm (ithin )el"ium#F 0urin" World War I$ it was apparent that the Flemish 2ovement had split into two distinct "roups' the 6assivists$ who advocated or more ri"hts or Flanders (ithin the Kin"dom o )el"ium$ and the Activists$ (ho colla%orated (ith 7erman occupiers throu"h the implementation o 7erman Flamenpoliti/ in an attempt to esta%lish a separate Flemish state#6 The manner in which the politicall& en"a"ed Flemish$ the ?amin"ant$ soldiers$ were either disre"arded or commemorated durin" the war re?ected tensions within )el"ium and (ithin the le"ac& o the schisms in Flanders itsel $ servin" to move Flemish nationalist ideolo"& to the national sta"e o )el"ian politics in the postwar years# Throu"h the rise in the in?uence o the Activists$ anti5)el"ianism led some Flemish to colla%orate with the Ia.is durin" !orld !ar II$ an extreme example o Flemish nationalism that onl& underscores the movement’s multiplicit&# The )elgian Front: The Foundation or 0ou%le 1ommemoration <F= 7erman& invaded )el"ium on E Au"ust 1914. Cn 10 Ccto%er$ Antwerp ell$ and the )el"ian arm& %e"an a retreat that ended at the IJ.er River$ %etween the coastal town o Iieuwpoort to the north and )oe.in"e to the south# This re"ion is /nown as the )el"ian Front# Cn 29 Ccto%er$ a ter two previousl& unsuccess ul attempts$ the canal loc/s o Iieuwpoort were opened$ and the Iorth 4ea "raduall& rose in the lo( 8elds ollowin" the line o the IJ.er# The river and the ?ooded plains remained$ or the duration o the war$ the divisional and de ensive line %etween the 7erman and )el"ian armies# This period$ the 7uard o the IJ.er @!acht aan de IJ.erA$ was not totall& immune rom violence$ %ut the %lood& %attles with heavy losses (ere not the same as those that overwhelmed the Npres 4alient to the south$ (hich a+orded a very di+erent war e,perience for soldiers in the Bel"ian arm&# <6= A ter the )attle o ;iO"e on F Au"ust 1914 and the su%se>uent 7erman occupation$ men rom !allonia (ere less availa%le or service# The orced retreat o the )el"ian arm& to the small corner o northwestern Flanders resulted in an F 4ten"ers ar"ues that )el"ium (as onl& institutionali.ed as a modern nation state a ter 1M30 and$ as a result$ Flanders is a %&-product o the ormation o )el"iumP initiall& lan"ua"e does not appear as a maBor political element o national identit&# !ils ar"ues that )el"ium (as a product o international ne"otiations. Jean 4ten"ers, Histoire du sentiment national en )el"i>ue des ori"ines Q 1D1M$ vol# 1' ;es racines de la )el"i>ue# Jusqu3Q la RRvolution de 1M30$ )russels 2000$ as (ell as Jean 4ten"ers and Sliane 7u%in$ ;e "rand siOcle de la nationalitR %el"e# 0e 1M30 Q 1D1M$ Histoire du sentiment national en )el"i>ue des ori"ines Q 1D1M$ )russels 2002$ and ;ode !ils, HIaar de %arst in )el"iT# Cver ;e "rand siOcle de la nationalitR %el"e van 4ten"ers en 7u%inH$ in' 1ahiers d3histoire du temps prRsent 11 (2003A$ 203-20D# 6 The frst to address this issue (as ;ode !ils, Flamenpoliti/ en aktivisme$ ;euven 1D7E# A more recent stud& is )runo Nammine$ Dran" nach !esten# 0e undamenten van de Duitse Flamenpoliti/$ ;euven 2011# RIHA Journal 0163 | 27 June 2017 increased num%er o Flemish enlistin" in the arm& a ter 1914. The Flemish men who Boined the ran/s did so or a variet& o reasons# The maBorit& enlisted in de ense o )el"ium and others in answer to the /in"’s call or volunteers$ in (hich he appealed directl& to the patriotic pride o the men o Flanders$ indirectl& implyin" more ri"hts or Flanders a ter the war#7 This HpromiseH was raised in 1917 in an in amous letter /nown as the Cpen )rie @Cpen )rievenA$ addressed to the /in" and dra ted %& the ?amin"ant soldier Adiel 0e%euc/elaere#M 4elections rom the )rie con8rmed the lon"5lastin" and romantici.ed impression that the maBorit& o the Flemish Boined the war e+ort as Flemish volunteers# This idea is supported %& the citations in soldier’s diaries$ ?amin"ant5centered trench Bournals$ and correspondence (ith those on the home5 ront#D 4ome entered the ran/s with an alread& esta%lished sense o ?amin"antism$ 8"htin" or more autonom& or Flanders#10 Cthers