(WWII) The State Secondary School: a fraught war past

Few people know that Jef Van de Wiele, the leader of DeVlag, one of the most right-wing movements, was a teacher at the State Secondary School of Aarschot before the Second World War. DeVlag, an abbreviation for the German-Flemish Labour Community , was founded in 1936 by Van de Wiele as an association with cultural ties to Germany. But in the spring of 1941 DeVlag was transformed into a racist, Jew-hating organization subordinate to the SS and with the intention of merging Flanders (Belgium) into a Greater Germanic Empire. During his years as a teacher in the school, Van de Wiele was seen as a valued colleague, pleasant to deal with and a fascinating storyteller.

At the time of the liberation, the various schools in Aarschot were used by the 'resistance' to bring together collaborators, suspected or not. The White Brigade and the National Royal Movement deported their prisoners to the 'Colmajen'. The scenes of violence and humiliation that occurred there were certainly not pretty. For example, 'black' women's hair was cut off and 'exhibited' in front of the school's windows. They had to scream, "I'm a German whore."

Toerisme Aarschot