War Memorial Lissewege

This war memorial at the church in Lissewege honors the victims of both world wars. More specifically, the names of the civilian war victims and the resistance and political prisoners of the Second World War are mentioned.

Lissewege was set up by the Germans in the Second World War as a "hedgehog position" (defense in all directions) to deny Zeebrugge, so that numerous bunkers had to be built. Since the Belgian Partisans had the permanent assignment to commit sabotage everywhere and at all times, they had an ideal field of activity, especially in Lissewege and Zwankendamme, but also in Zeebrugge. Several machines were sabotaged, paralyzing and delaying the yards, train tracks and switches were sabotaged, railroad cars (by spreading sand or iron filings in the oil pots of the wheel axles) causing delays in the transport system.

From February 1944, a whole series of arrests took place in Lissewege, including Alfons BRANS, Julien REYCHLER, Gilbert TAVERNIER, Eugène DEMEULEMEESTER, Amedée and Gerard CREVITS and Gustave COPPEJANS. Most of them would never return from the German Concentration Camps. Alfons STYNS and Julien DE BOI were also arrested; Sentenced to death on March 28, 1944 by the German Martial Court and executed in Oostakker on May 20, 1944.

It was the constable Alberic TAVERNIER who was obliged several times at night by the German GFP to accompany them as a guide to indicate the homes of the people to be detained.
All detainees were told by 37-year-old Bruges master snitch and already known to the Belgian court before 1940, several times convicted and unadulterated criminal André VAN BEVEREN who was arrested by the gendarmerie on 13 February 1944 as he still had to serve 3 years in prison. and committed new criminal offences.

Willem Vandenameele