On 19 October, French soldiers are shooting towards the Germans near Rumbeke. The Germans think it is civilians who are shooting at them and take revenge. Thirteen people are killed that day, and 60 houses are set on fire. The smoke clouds can be seen for miles around.
Leopold Slosse priest in Rumbeke kept a diary. Very detailed with names and locations.
What caught my eye was how he described seeing wooden crosses of German graves, and giving locations, writing down detailed which houses are looted and set to fire and also the names of the people who got killed on the 19th of October 1914. He mentions 6 Germans being buried in and around the village.
One behind the burnt farm of Garkes, on the corner opposite the paved road to Roeselare. Finding who Garkes is or was, or let alone figure out the correct name is still an enigma for me.
3 east of the new distillery at the beginning of the Albert street, one east of the station, along the little road to the ‘hof ten lecke’, right across the exentrique of the railway. another one on the ground of widow Vynckiers against the little road that runs west of the ‘Kindjesmolen’.
Exentrique or aiguillage in French is used to change the track of a train.
On the 25thof October he writes down that there are 2 German soldiers buried now behind Garkes farm.
Ernest Bürcher and Joseph Sohn
Ernst Büchner, Reserve-Kavallerie-Abteilung 51 aus Watzendorf b. Coburg, gefallen zwischen 19. und 22.10.1914 Rumbeke.
On the 15thof November the following is written down in his diary: “A guest Oberluitenant Blasius, an evangelical pastor from Helmstedt in Brauwnsweich, together with his companions, I have visited the grave of Wilhelm Kadow at the ‘kindtjes molen on the ground of widow Vynckier .
Wilhelm Kadow, an 18 years old and only son born in Schmalkalden in Hessen- Cassel. He is buried where he died on 19 October. Wilhelm is buried now in Menen wald,: served as a Grenadier in 4/RIR 233 but date of death is marked as 20/10/1914
Kindtjes molen or the ‘noodloos molen’ was in the Oekenestraat about 600 meters south of the church, this mill was demolished in 1896 but pretty normal to still use a name of a building that is no longer there.
the miller’s house that remained inhabited by the widow Breemeersch was set on fire on “schuwe Maandag”, 19 October 1914, in the ruins of this mill house, a morgue was set up in October 1917, where the corpses of fallen soldiers were brought to await their burial in the German cemetery in the Oekenestraat.
That same day( 15.11.1914) Leopold writes down that many Germans attended mass, 115 during the vespers, 300 during the evening, they asked when the next service would be and also wanted a tray to collect money, unfortunately they had to leave earlier through the muddy streets of Rumbeke. He feels sorry for them.
Another 3 bodies of German soldiers are found on the 25th of November, one of them was injured near Baert’s chicken farm, between the station of Kachtem and the canal, he died around 8 o’clock in the morning on the 20th of October in the inn ‘het oud Stroomken’, and was buried there in the garden, he lies with his head against the cherry tree.
On the 10th of December, around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, our Priest received some more guests: M. Ziethen, general der Fuss artillerie, the major Aust and hauptmann Delius, before that they were guests in the vicarage of Kortemark. Het “Vosken” an old fashioned inn, situated at the end of the parish, along the paved road is now a German hospital, the wounded arrive via Moorslede and are then brought to St Eloois Winkel. Unfortunately no name of the officer who died in inn “Vosken” nor the name of the soldier who died on 12 December, a father of 7 children. both are buried next to each other against the ditch of the stone road near Het Vosken. The 2nd of December Het Vosken is cleared, the wounded are now taken care of in Beitem.
Source : oorlogsdagboek van Rumbeke in 1914 door L Slosse
Thanks to Jürgen Smieschek for helping me find information on Ernest Bürcher