Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert (7 March 1894 – 10 May 1973) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

colonial soldier who served in both world wars, and a commander of the ''

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; nl, Openbare Weermacht) was a gendarmerie and military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885 (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of ...

'' in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

Career

Early life and World War I

After joining the Belgian Army in 1910, Gilliaert received an officer's commission in July 1914. With the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he fought in battles along the Yser River, near Ostende. In 1916, he volunteered for service in Central Africa, in what was then the

, and took part as a captain in the East Africa Campaign fighting in German East Africa. Gilliaert returned to Belgium in 1919, commanding units at home and in occupied Germany.

World War II

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Major-General Gilliaert was the commander of the "Belgian Expeditionary Forces" in East Africa during the East African Campaign of World War II. The Belgian Expeditionary Force was a Free Belgian colonial unit composed of troops from the Belgian Congo. In July 1941, Gilliaert cut off the retreat of Italian General

Pietro Gazzera Pietro Gazzera (11 December 1879 – 30 June 1953) was an officer in the Italian Royal Army during World War II, as well as a prewar Italian politician. Gazzera was born in Bene Vagienna, he joined the Italian Army and fought in the Italo-Turki ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and accepted the surrender of Gazzera's 7,000 troops. After the successful conclusion of the campaign in East Africa, a part of the Force Publique was re-designated the 1st Belgian Congo Brigade Group and served in a garrison and rear-area security role in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and in British Palestine from 1943 to 1944.Foreign Volunteers of the Allied Forces, 1939–45, p. 17 Gilliaert commanded the road march of the 2,000 man brigade on a journey of some 7,000 kilometers from

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

to Cairo without losing a single man.www.deplate.be
/ref> Gilliaert was made commander of the Force Publique in July 1944 and promoted to Lieutenant-General in October 1951. General Gilliaert returned to Belgium in March 1954 and retired on 1 April 1955.

Command history

* General Officer Commanding, Belgian Expeditionary Forces East Africa – 1941 * Commander of the Force Publique – 1944

Awards

* Commander of the Order of the African Star with Palm * Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire

References

External links

www.deplate.beBiography of Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert
(in French)
Archive Auguste Gilliaert
Royal museum for central Africa {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilliaert, Auguste 1894 births Belgian military personnel of World War I Belgian Army generals of World War II Officers of the Force Publique Belgian Army personnel of World War I 1973 deaths Belgian Congo in World War II Military personnel from Bruges