War Memorial De Ruinruimer - Deinze

This war memorial , called the 'Debris Clearer' or 'Piocheur ', commemorates the fallen, civilian victims and claimed victims of the city of Deinze during the First and Second World Wars.

Prince Leopold, the later Leopold III, was present at the inauguration on October 8, 1922 . There used to be a cannon behind the statue. Later, the names of the civilian victims of the Second World War were added to a bluestone book , which was placed at the front of a bluestone roundabout with lawn. About ten years ago the monument was restored by Wilhelmina Barbé-De Gucht.

The sculptor of this memorial sign is Antoon Van Parys . This memorial is called the 'Piocheur'. It depicts a young man clearing the rubble of war . Deinzenaar and former firefighter Emiel Vanden Berghe served as a model for this. The memorial is a typical example of how Van Parys emphasized reconstruction in his memorial signs. The serene and mystical appearance of the figures is typical of Van Parys' work.

The bronze piocheur or rubble clearer stands on top of a bluestone block. The image is reminiscent of Constant Meunier in terms of both theme and design. On the walls of the block there is an unarmed soldier who, together with a farm boy, carries a fallen comrade away from the battlefield. The farm boy appears expressionistic because of his over-proportioned hands and feet. Next to the farmer's boy it is signed: "ANT. VAN PARYS 1922." There is a stone book in front of the statue.

Inscription: "THE CITY DEINZE TO ITS DEAD/ 1914-1918/ 1940-1945".

Small stone slab with the following text (bottom at the front of the monument): "FERDINAND LIBOR SLOCK COWARDLY MURDERED BY THE GERMANS IN BRUGES 17 SEPTEMBER 1915".

On the left is a list of the fallen soldiers, and at the bottom is the message: "NEVER FORGET".

On the right side are the names of the "REQUESTED" below is the entry "AND OUR 37 FALLEN CIVILIANS".

At the back is a female figure with a soldier's helmet in her hands. Next to her it reads: "TO THOSE WHO REMAINED IN HOPE/ WITHIN SOUL MORNING AND MOURNING/ TO THOSE WHO FAITHFUL TO THE COUNTRY/ SURVIVED THE WAR/ II NOV 1918".

Willem Vandenameele