Monument aux morts - Tournai

An imposing war memorial, inaugurated in 1922, in limestone and bronze. It is the work of sculptor Aloïs de Beule . It will be supplemented after the Second World War by his son Albert de Beule by adding the names of soldiers who died in the battle to the sides of the monument.

The impressive structure is dedicated to the dead of the two world conflicts ; mainly those from 1914-1918 with a bronze statue in the middle that symbolizes the Motherland and holds her children in need at arm's length. On the one hand a soldier in agony , and on the other a civilian undergoing martyrdom and dying. There are also two kneeling mourners on either side of the pietà.

Parallel to the "scene" are positioned straight and symmetrically two female figures , draped in the ancient manner and each wearing a rosette or martyr's crown in a Byzantine manner and at chest height.

Flower arrangements on the corners and ends of the cut stones, as well as two bas-reliefs complete the picture. On the one hand, the work, located on the right, refers to the beginning of the war through its symbolism. In the graphic representation, the composition highlights Belgian soldiers leaving for the front, accompanied by a dog pulling a machine gun. Other soldiers painfully draw a heavy piece of artillery and are stopped by a desperate civilian. On the other hand, on the left, the element illustrates the triumphant return of helmeted soldiers, praised by civilians, for achieving victory.

The inscription, "Ils moururent en héros pour l'honneur du droit" (They died as heroes for the honor of good) adorns the top of the stone structure.

On either side of the monument , two soldiers face each other at the far end, parallel to the composition. These soldiers have their heads tilted forward, as a sign of respect and contemplation. The rifle is held by the end (barrel) with both hands, the butt placed perpendicularly between the two feet, the butt plate in contact with the ground.

At the back of the mortuary monument, with its back to the structure, stands a Victory in the center, with outstretched wings , with a laurel wreath in each hand that she extends over the frames of dead combatants and prisoners of war. In addition to the name Gabrielle Petit (1916), the latter are supplemented with the surnames of civilian deportees who also died as a result of the war. Without forgetting the victims of the Second World War conflict, including the resistance fighters.

Numerous bullet impacts or projectile fragments are visible on the surface of the bronze pieces.

Willem Vandenameele