Early October 1914, 4 nuns and a few young women had training from Doctor Callewaert from Ieper to dress wounds, in case wounded soldiers would end up in the Village. First time on the 4th of October 1914 around 5 o’clock about 20 wounded were brought into the hospice ( Nieuwkerkestraat). So the nuns who had the training to dress wounded went to see if they could help. By 6,30 the news was spread that the Germans were coming. The wounded soldiers buried their cloths in the dung heap or hid them in the shed and got cloths from the elderly who lived in the hospice. Next step they fled. All lights were switched off. Very soon the horses could be heard, The houses that were empty were looted. Were people still lived they were forced to give food and drinks, wine cellars were emptied .
Mister Mayor and some aldermen were taken hostage. ( same happened in Ieper blog I wrote a few years ago) had to spend the night in the inn called ‘ au boeuf’, it was run by Eugenie lemaire.
One of the priests H Reynaert was forced to spend the night in the church tower with the bells, in the morning he was released. One inhabitant named Dauchy on his way to work was shot dead near the inn called ‘ hazekasteel’. ( still exists Steenwerkstraat 23). When the Germans left direction Dranouter they took the hostages with them and released them on the road near the mariebrug.
For two days it was quiet in the village and then horses again, thousands according to Mother superior, by 2 am the Bel rang, one sister opened the door, The Germans demanded coffee and bread, eggs, they wanted to get into the convent, but somehow the nuns made them stay outside. 4 to 5 sisters stayed at the gate and served the soldiers, the rest preparing food in the kitchen.That until 8 am the next morning. The ‘ Seulestraat was full of horses, By noon they left again and the village was quiet . On the Monday the 12th they were back all over the place by Wednesday the inhabitants of’ Spiervelden’ ( a hamlet between Nieuwkerke and the Romarin)flee since the Germans are digging trenches and a canon wast placed. At the grounds of the chateau owned by Vermeersch they placed a machinegun. ( Mitoyenstraat 17 oosthove )
The bakker Alphonse Reubrecht living at the Romarin was shot dead in front of his family. ( in a family tree online I found he was born the 18th of January 1881 and died the 8thof oktober 1914) I also found he wasn’t shot but stabbed by a German soldier . his name is still listed as the first civilian casualty on the local monument. After this incident, Emma Zulma left with the 5 children for France where they lived at the castle of Montigny-sur-Avre and stayed there for the rest of the war.
On the 14th, not many Germans still in the village, by observing from the church tower they saw the English coming from Kemmel and fled. A few of them were too slow and were shot in the Ieperstraat. Soon the first car arrived and the people started cheering ‘ vive les Anglais’.
Early January 1915 the vicar a civilian and several British soldiers were hit by a shell, a soldier went to the convent to tell the priest died only the nuns not speaking English thought he was asking for a priest to give the last absolution to a wounded soldier. It was only the next day that was found out ,that the vicar died and by then he had been buried with the dead soldiers in a meadow. He did get a proper burial.
On the 23 of Marsh 1915 the chapel of the convent and the the girls school was hit by German shells, the 14 nuns were hiding in the cellar under the kitchen . The only thing that was still complete in the chapel was the statue of the virgin Marie.
On the 12th of April the nuns left the village.
sources :
Belgian state archive :
Belgian state archive :
INVENTARIS VAN DE VERSLAGEN VAN DE EERSTE WERELDOORLOG VAN HET AARTSBISDOM MECHELEN-BRUSSEL EN DE BISDOMMEN BRUGGE, DOORNIK, GENT EN LUIK. KLOOSTERVERSLAG. 14/08/1919. BESTANDDEELNUMMER 765
Images found geneanet
