The death of Prins zur Lippe near Liege
I have several old newspapers and one of them : ‘”vooruit” of 13 October 1914 reports of a German prince being killed
Friedrich Wilhelm Franz Julius Ludwig Kalixt Prinz zur Lippe-Biesterfeld (July 16, 1858 – 1914)
Married to Gisèle d’Isenbourg-Büdingen (1871-1964)
The death of Prince von Lippe( 1914 newspaper)
After the Germans had taken over the town of Liege, they occupied Seraing. The next day, they would bombard the Flemalle and Fléron forts. During the night, their general, Prince von Lippe, visited the area around the fortress of Fléron with his nephew. They were surprised by a Belgian carabineer hiding in a trench who shot both officers. On his return to his regiment, the soldier reported what happened. The two bodies were taken to the mortuary in Seraing. In the prince’s helmet they found a packet of banknotes, his belt and the handle of his sabre were set with precious gems. The mayor on duty, Isidoor Delvigne, gave everything to the police commissioner. The next morning officers came to inquire about their missing general. Delvigne told them what had happened and gave everything found on the prince and his companion The German officers, amazed at such a way of proceeding, for which they were admiring, thanked him warmly and left. The behaviour of the municipal authorities ensured that Seraing was saved from destruction.
Notice the name is incorrect von is actually zur.
Newspaper 2004
On Wednesday 5 August, during a battle on the heights of Seraing, Prince Frederick William zur Lippe, Oberst of the 74th Infantry Regiment of the German army, was killed by a bullet from a Belgian soldier ambushed in a ditch . The prince’s nephew was also killed in this Belgian counter-attack, which proved to be victorious. Alas, not for long.
When the Prince’s body was pulled back from his lines, his spiked helmet fell off. It must be said that his coat of arms was set with… 24 brilliants (cut diamonds).
When the Germans returned, they demanded that the authorities return the helmet under threat of death and reprisals. The alderman Joseph Merlot and the police commissioner led the investigation and succeeded in finding 22 of the 24 diamonds. History does not say where or how…
The truth must be somewhere in the middle how the diamonds ended back with the Germans.
In preparation for the siege of Liège, a large number of cattle had been brought from the Condroz to Seraing. The rapid advance of the Germans had made this measure useless. But the animals had remained in Seraing where there was nothing to feed them. Starving, they mooed day and night. Permission was needed from the Germans to drive them back to the Condroz by the Val St Lambert train. Joseph Merlot and the police commissioner took steps at the provincial palace occupied by the Germans. The head of the German transport service was precisely the Prince zur Lippe’s orderly. Apparently not very resentful, he welcomed them with joy. He told how well the people of Seraing had behaved with him when he was captured. “They locked me in a cellar, he said, and made me drink until I was drunk. Obviously he had enjoyed this very much and permission to transport the cattle was immediately granted!
Despite the order to destroy the bridges, the one at Seraing remained intact. This was because the workers had no explosives. They cleared the streets and blocked the access to the bridge. Then a detachment of the Belgian army arrived. With the Germans on its heels, it had to get to the other side. The paving stone barricades were dismantled and reassembled. On 10 August, it was the same thing again, under threat, but this time for the Germans.
The fire from the Flémalle fort had proved to be quite formidable for the Germans posted along the Meuse at Seraing. The accuracy of the fire was due, in part, to the pigeons that flew in to pinpoint the position of the targets. Despite a frantic search by the Germans, the pigeons were not found. They were hidden in the attic of the town hall.
Rudolf Friedrich Otto von Dincklage Baron 19 december 1874 Lingen – 06 augustus 1914 Lüttich was the nephew of prins zur Lippe.
Sources : http://www.monarchie-noblesse.net
La libre Belgique gazette de Liège 05/12/2004
Krant ‘ vooruit’ dinsdag 13 oktober 1914