Daily life in occupied Rumbeke
At the end of October 1914, the Germans constructed an airfield in Rumbeke, south of the Sterrebos, at the Bergstraat and the old Maria’s lindestraat close to the inn ‘t roodhuis. A second one was called Rumbeke Ost, at the Izegemstraat. There was a landing and take-off runway with wooden sheds around it and a barracks. German wing units took off from ‘Rumbeke south west’ for four years to reconnoitre the Allied lines and then later attack. As in all other occupied municipalities, the ortskommandatur of Rumbeke demanded special war laws, some inns were only open to German soldiers, meetings were forbidden, a curfew was imposed. numerous objects, goods and food were requisitioned .
Our priest Leopold Slosse put’s an extra wall in his cellar to protect his wine and butter. He had to share his house with several German officers.
18 January 1915, it is snowing, the soldiers who were also here on the19th of October are returning from the battlefield, two of their officers M Keil from Schönenberg a suburb of Berlin and M schier from Cassel are sleeping in the vicarage, it was the first time in three months they had seen a bed, they told Leopold. On 26 January the two gentlemen set off for Gent; Leopold wrote in his diary that they were good people. That same day two new officers came to the vicarage, namely Walter Speyer from Berlin and Ludwig Knieling from Cassel a friend of M. Schier. The both have an ordonnance , Engel Kannengieser and Karl Umbach. 3 days later they are leaving again. The vicarage is like an inn for officers, they come and go.
A new ‘ortskommandant’, Von Melgunoff, of Russian origin, arrived in mid-January, occupying the notary’s house. He doesn’t stay very long, by the 5thof February 1915 he is replaced by Orth. Many will follow, another one was Busch. See image
Some naughty men put a paper on mijn garden gate : Diese tür müsz offen bleiben. 10 Komp. Landwehr. 74.
LIR 74 arrived in Roeselare and Rumbeke by small track , the second battalion had its quarters in Roeselare the I and III Battalion and the regimental staff went to Rumbeke. On 13 February the regiment returned to their former lines again and on the 21th of February returned to its quarters in Rumbeke and Roeselare. On the 23 , in honour of the birthday of the king of Würtenberg, a parade was held in front of Rumbeke castle, attended by Hertzog Albrecht of Würtenberg.
On the 20th of February around 1 o’clock a plane crashes between the factory of Vande Moortel and mister Peen’s chateau, they do not seem to be wounded, next day another plane crash.
The convent burning on the 23rd of February and according to Leopold caused by smoking German soldiers what makes sense, 400 of them were quartered in the school buildings of the convent, sleeping on straw.
When the Germans decide to install a telephone in the vicarage our priest writes down in his diary : 21 of august they install a telephone device in the long hall, very soon I’ll expect a tram station in front of my door, why not?
Source : Source : oorlogsdagboek van Rumbeke in 1914 – 1918 door L Slosse
Geschichte des Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 74 thanks to Wim Degrande
Picture : Kriegszeitung der 4. Armee , 1916 grave, Ortskommandant Busch, fire at the convent from the diary of L. Slosse