Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert (7 March 1894 – 10 May 1973) was a Belgian colonial lieutenant general who served in both world wars, and a commander of the ''

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; ) was the military of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo from 1885 to 1960. It was established after Belgian Army officers travelled to the Free State to found an armed force in the colony on L ...

'' in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portugu ...

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Major-General Gilliaert was the commander of the "Belgian Expeditionary Forces" in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

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, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

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 ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and in

British Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After an Arab uprising against the Ottoma ...

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 ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

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. Gilliaert returned to Belgium in March 1954 and retired on 1 April 1955.

Command history

* General Officer Commanding, Belgian Expeditionary Forces

– 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 Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire