Search tips


First search generally, then specifically. Example: don’t look for “François Van Damme”, but try “Van Damme” first and filter the search.
The person you are looking for does not appear? Try another spelling. Example: don’t only try “Vanwymelbeke”, but also “Van Wymelbeke” or “Vanwijmelbeke”.
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

Jean Joseph Coninx — or Jan J., as his gravestone says — has been found. He was born in 1902 in Montegnée. So not 1884 (according to some websites) or 1892 (according to his gravestone).

How did we figure this out? The old Halen cemetery list notes that he didn’t serve during the First World War — a hint that his birth date wasn’t correct. A broader search for his birth certificate leads to the correct birth date.

His parents moved from Montegnée to Herstal. He died on his birthday, possibly one of the many flu victims. After a temporary grave in Hasselt, he got his final resting place at Halen military cemetery.

Why he wasn’t moved closer to Liège, near his parents, remains a mystery.

We now know who he was. The War Dead Register has been updated. Thanks for all the tips we received!

More about Jean