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Attention: the War Dead Register only lists Belgian fallen soldiers.  
The War Dead Register provides basic personal information (name, first name, date and place of birth, etc.) and does not contain military files (giving a complete overview of the military career). According to date of birth the files are kept either by the Royal Military Museum or by the Defence archives service. The files safeguarded at the Military Museum can be consulted on site (Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels). The files kept up till now by Defence are currently transferred to the General State Archives.
The date on which they will be once again available has not yet been determined.   

 

Archives of the Royal Military Museum 

Documentation Centre 
Parc du Cinquantenaire 3
1000 Brussels
E-mail : cdoc.klm-mra@warheritage.be   
Website: www.warheritage.be

Cemetery details

Where?
Brusselsesteenweg, 3020 Veltem-Beisem
 
View on map

History

The Veltem-Beisem cemetery is a typical example of an assembly cemetery established after the war. Two Belgian raids launched out of Antwerp in August and September 1914 are intended to hit the Germans in the flank and alleviate the pressure on the Franco-British front. They mobilise the best part of the field army.   
The first raid in August surprises the Germans, but the second raid has to face additional troops. Territorial gains eventually prove modest. The raids also require Belgian troops that are badly needed elsewhere, a state of affairs eventually leading to the collapse of the Antwerp stronghold. When the Germans decide to eliminate the Belgians on their right flank the heavily tried Belgians are forced to retreat behind the Yser. 

 

Casualties

908 First World War (240 unidentified)

 

Description
 

The cemetery is located along the Brusselsesteenweg but is situated below street level. Like many cemeteries linked to the 1914 war of movement, it is created in the years following the conflict. It is rectangular in shape and can be accessed through a monumental staircase above a room containing information and the venue’s map.   
The graves are arranged in several plots. During construction, various borders were planted, but these disappeared over the years, giving the place a somewhat austere appearance. The cemetery contains 240 unidentified servicemen.