Sunday, November 9, 2014

First world war finished in Zwalm where I have lived for 5 years.

                                 End from  the first world war  1918

Yes,  I have lived there for 5 years .My husband and I had  this information just now.My husband tells a little bit of this history. Its very interesting.


The first world war ended in Zwalm,American  soldiers of the 146th Infantary, 37th Division, crossing the Scheldt River at Nederzwalm under fire. Image courtesy of The National Archives is shown..
On 10th  november 1918.. they crossed the Scheldt, and 11th november they took Nederzwalm - Beerlegem - St Maria Latem.. My grandmother Clara Dossche , 19 years old, lived with  her parents , brothers and sisters in a little farm in Nederzwalm, near a watermill 'Biestmolen' on the river  Zwalm .She told the story that they were sheltering with the whole familie in the cellar, and they heard someone  shouting ' "Dosskens, Dosskens... Where are you? Are you still alive.?.. The war is over....?' My grandmother and family came out of the cellar.They could not believe the war was over...' On the mil, 50 meters from the farm, there was a dead german soldier on the street. The german soldier was there already some time and had orders to protect the bridge . He came sometimes to the farm of  my grandparents and had talked to them, he was married and had 3 children...Unfortunately he died on the last day of the Great War...The last battle... The war ended in Zwalm that day on 11th november 1918 at 11 o clock.....You can check this information at this site by the American Battle Monuments Commision.
https://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/images/soldiers-cross-scheldt-river

Vadim Kiselev - Moonlight Improvisation - YouTube

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