Belgian Monument

Belgian Monument, Pater Kustersweg 8 Cadier en Keer

The Belgian monument in Cadier en Keer was erected in memory of the eleven Belgian resistance fighters and a young Russian who were shot by the occupying forces on 12 September 1944 in the bush near Huize Sint-Joseph between Heer en Keer.

The names of the victims are:

Gustaaf Beazar, Willem Conen, Pierre H. Driessens, Jozef Eerdekens, Pieter Jaeken, Guillaume L. Langers, Matieu J. Lenders, Alfons Leroy, Jacques Teelen, Jean M. Wolfs and Jules L. Wolfs. The identity of the Russian has remained unknown.

The executed Belgians were part of a group of a total of 26 resistance fighters. They had been called together at the beginning of September 1944 as members of the Belgian secret army because weapons and ammunition were to be dropped in the woods of Reken. While the resistance fighters were waiting (in vain) in the woods, they also had to guard 26 disarmed German soldiers. On 9 September, the group was attacked by a German unit. After a fierce firefight, the German soldiers fled. A day later, the occupying forces returned, but this time with so many men that the Belgians were stormed from all sides. They lacked the weapons that the Allies would drop. The resistance fighters were arrested and imprisoned in a cellar together with innocent local residents. From there they were taken to Ashes. An interrogation followed in a large house. The German soldier who asked the questions turned out to be well aware of this resistance group: he had the administrative data about the group in his possession.

In the days after the interrogation, the resistance fighters were transported in closed trucks via Lanaken to Maastricht. Along the way, the German soldiers released some prisoners after the wounded resistance commander Gustave Beazar had told him that people had been captured who had absolutely nothing to do with the secret army. Somewhere in a park, a new interrogation ensued. Afterwards, the 26 prisoners were herded up a flight of stairs in a Maastricht villa, where they were given some bread and tomatoes. Finally, an arduous journey on foot to Lord began. There they ended up in the basement of a house on the Akersteenweg in the bend from Heer to Cadier en Keer. Thunderous cannon shots rang out in the distance, which meant that the Americans were very close. Upstairs in the house, excited German voices could be heard. "If we have to die, let us hope it's together," said Commander Beazar. The next morning he was taken out of the cellar. After that, eleven more men were called up from the basement one by one (with an interval of twenty minutes to half an hour). Father Piet Denis (rector and director of Huize Sint-Joseph) gave the last blessing to the eleven prisoners. The Russian tried to escape, but was shot dead. Of the remaining captured Belgians, seven were executed in Mindergangelt. Seven members of the secret army disappeared in German concentration camps. Three returned: Ciska Vliexs, Hélène van Laer and Gaspar Caris.

Disclosure
The monument was unveiled on 12 September 1948 by the Queen's Commissioner in the province of Limburg, Dr. F.J.M.A.H. Houben, and the governor of Belgian Limburg, Mr. Verwilghen.

Eijsden-Margraten