Lieutenant-general BEM Victor Jean Clement, ''Baron'' van Strydonck de Burkel (16 July 1876, Antwerp – 4 August 1961,

Etterbeek Etterbeek (French: ; Dutch: ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the municipalities of Auderghem, the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Schaerbeek, Wolu ...

) was a general of the

Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...

and the primary architect of the formation of the Free Belgian Forces after Belgium's official surrender on May 28, 1940 in

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 ...

Military career

First World War and Interwar

In 1918, as an officer in the 1st Regiment of Guides, Victor van Strydonck commanded the last cavalry charge in western Europe, the successful Charge of Burkel. For his role in the charge, van Strydonck was made a baron and given the title "de Burkel" in 1937 after the location of the battle. A cavalry officer, van Strydonck de Burkel commanded the Cavalry School (1920–1923) and the 1st Cavalry Division (1928–1933), served as the inspector-general of the

Belgian Gendarmerie The Gendarmerie (French) or Rijkswacht (Dutch) was the former national Gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of Belgium. It became a civilian police organisation in 1992, a status it retained until 1 January 2001, when it was, together with the o ...

(1933–1939), and was the commander of the Cavalry Corps (1933–1939) prior to

. In 1938, Van Strydonck announced his retirement from the army but was re-activated in late 1939 when war between Britain, France and Germany broke out although Belgium remained neutral.

Second World War

During the invasion of Belgium by Germany in May 1940, van Strydonck de Burkel commanded the 1st Military Zone. At his own initiative, Van Strydonck created a camp in

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

where he established a ''Camp militaire belge de Regroupment'' (CMBR) for Belgian soldiers who had escaped to Britain after the surrender. Initially, morale among the several hundred soldiers was extremely low among the troops in Tenby and drunkenness and insubordination presented a major problem. Van Strydonck lobbied the British to improve the conditions and, to keep the soldiers busy, organized a major parade on

Belgian National Day Belgian National Day ( nl, Nationale feestdag van België; french: Fête nationale belge; german: Belgischer Nationalfeiertag) is the national holiday of Belgium commemorated annually on 21 July. It is one of the country's ten public holidays a ...

(21 July) 1941. He succeeded in affiliating the Belgian contingent with the local

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

which improved morale. With the arrival of the

Belgian government in exile The Belgian Government in London (french: Gouvernement belge à Londres, nl, Belgische regering in Londen), also known as the Pierlot IV Government, was the government in exile of Belgium between October 1940 and September 1944 during World W ...

and the formal creation of the Free Belgian Forces, he became the Commander in Chief and presided over the gradual organization of the

1st Belgian Infantry Brigade The Independent Belgian Brigade was a Belgian and Luxembourg military unit in the Free Belgian forces during World War II, commonly known as the Piron Brigade (''Brigade Piron'') after its commanding officer Jean-Baptiste Piron. It saw actio ...

, a unit that later fought in the campaign in northwestern Europe. In 1941 he became the Inspector-General of the Belgian ground forces in Great Britain. After the Allies re-entered northwestern Europe in 1944, van Strydonck de Burkel became the Chief of the Belgian Military Mission to Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:van Strydonck De Burkel, Victor Belgian military personnel of World War I Belgian generals 1961 deaths 1876 births Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Barons of Belgium Military personnel from Antwerp Belgian people in the United Kingdom during World War II Belgian Army generals of World War II