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Edward and Frans Van Raemdonck were two siblings killed while serving in the
Belgian War Dead Register, entry for Eduard Jan Van Raemdonck, accessed 19 February 2022.
Belgian War Dead Register entry Frans Emiel Jozef Van Raemdonck, accessed 19 February 2022. and were serving together in the 6th Company of the 24th Line Regiment (24. ''Linieregiment'') when they were killed in an attack on the hamlet of Stampkot, near , on the
"In elkaars armen gestorven", de broers Van Raemdonck
at VRT
Edward and Frans Van Raemdonck
at the ''Nieuwe Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Raemdonck, brothers 1917 deaths Belgian military personnel killed in World War I Flemish nationalists Flemish Movement Cultural history of World War I People from Temse World War I memorials in Belgium Belgian Army personnel of World War I
Edward and Frans Van Raemdonck were two siblings killed while serving in the Belgian Army
The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, 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 ...
in 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 ...
whose story subsequently became prominent within the popular memory of the conflict in post-war Flanders
Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
.
Born in Temse
Temse (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in East Flanders, Belgium.
The name Temse is derived from the Gallo-Roman/Gaul Tamisiacum or Tamasiacum. This is also reflected in the French name for the town, Tamise. The main sights in ...
in East Flanders
East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...
in 1895 and 1897 respectively, Edward and Frans volunteered for service in the Belgian Army at the time of the German invasion of Belgium in August 1914Belgian War Dead Register, entry for Eduard Jan Van Raemdonck, accessed 19 February 2022.
Belgian War Dead Register entry Frans Emiel Jozef Van Raemdonck, accessed 19 February 2022. and were serving together in the 6th Company of the 24th Line Regiment (24. ''Linieregiment'') when they were killed in an attack on the hamlet of Stampkot, near , on the
Yser Front
The Yser Front (, or ), sometimes termed the West Flemish Front in British writing, was a section of the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I held by Belgium, Belgian troops from October 1914 until 1918. The front ran alo ...
in the night of 25–26 March 1917, aged 21 and 19 respectively.
In the aftermath of the conflict, the deaths of the "Brothers Van Raemdonck" (''Gebroeders Van Raemdonck'') became part of Flemish popular mythology as a result of its symbolism of brotherly love and self-sacrifice. Their ''flamingant
The term ''flamingant'', in both Dutch and French, refers to an adherent of the Flemish Movement. Originating as a pejorative term use by Belgian nationalists, it may be equally used as an adjective or substantive and the term ''flamingantisme'' ...
'' views and the supposed indifference to their fate among their French-speaking officers meant that it became increasingly associated with the Flemish Movement
The Flemish Movement (, ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemis ...
in post-war Belgium. Aspects of the historical brothers were re-written to better fit the emerging narrative. According to the myth, the two brothers had died in one another's arms while Frans's body had actually been discovered in the arms of a Walloon corporal Amé Fiévez a short distance from Edward's body.
The brothers' fate was widely commemorated in monuments over following years and the brothers were symbolically reburied at the Yser Towers (''IJzertoren'') in 1932 and was an important part of the annual Yser Pilgrimage (''IJzerbedevaart'').
References
Further reading
* *External links
"In elkaars armen gestorven", de broers Van Raemdonck
at VRT
Edward and Frans Van Raemdonck
at the ''Nieuwe Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Raemdonck, brothers 1917 deaths Belgian military personnel killed in World War I Flemish nationalists Flemish Movement Cultural history of World War I People from Temse World War I memorials in Belgium Belgian Army personnel of World War I