Cyriel Camiel and Hector Alidor Lesage
Cyriel Camiel Lesage and Hector Alidor Lesage were brothers who were soldiers for Belgium during World War I. Both have excelled in bravery and received military distinctions. The suffering of their family is representative for the disaster of World War I in Flanders Fields.
Early life[edit]
The Lesage family lived at Westrozebeke in Belgium at the time of the birth of Cyriel Camiel and had moved to Moorslede by the time Hector Alidor was born. Being a family of farmers, the plan was to work hard and save money to buy a new farm which would later most probably be inherited by Cyriel Camiel since he was the eldest son. By the time World War I began they had established their dream and had their own farm at Beselare in Belgium, not knowing that this area, later to be named "Flanders Fields", would be completely destroyed by the warfare at the western front during the years to come.
Private Cyriel Camiel Lesage[edit]
Cyriel Camiel Lesage was born in Westrozebeke (Belgium) around 1890 and had been with the Belgian army since 1910. He was a soldier with the company “2e Regiment Jagers te Voet 3/4 (12 Cie)” (in Flemish) or “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied 3/4 (12 Cie)” (in French)[1]
"2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied"[edit]
The “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” were Special Forces of the Belgian army,[2] who were light infantry and were trained to perform reconnaissance tasks and attacks behind the enemy lines. Because of their skills and feared maneuverability they were nicknamed the "black devils" or "schwarzen Teufel" by the Germans. Their emblem was a hunting horn with a number 2. Just before the war they were stationed at Bergen (Mons) in Belgium.[2] On August 3, 1914, the “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” were very quickly sent to face the German troops as they invaded Belgium. The German Schliefen Plan violated Belgium’s neutrality in an attempt to conquer France and Belgium in one single aggressive sweep. The first battle between the Germans and the “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” took place at Geldenaken on August 16, 1914.[2] Later that month heavy battles between the two armies took place around Antwerp.[2] On September 26 and 27, 1914, “2e régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” fought the battle of Buggenhout.[3] On October 6, 1914, the “2e régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” attacked the Germans at the river Nete and lost many lives.[2] Between 16 and 31 October the “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” were victorious at the river Yser near Ypres during the first battle of the Yser. Thanks to their heroic actions, despite the loss of many lives, they had been successful in halting the Germans at the river Yser.[2] This was the beginning of the trench war. The “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” have received the following distinctions: “Antwerpen”, “Ertvelde”, “Diksmuide”, “Yzer” and the “Order of Leopold colors and nestle”. These distinctions are still commemorated on their flag.
Père Lachaise cemetery at Paris in France[edit]
Cyriel Camiel Lesage has been the first casualty of the Belgian light infantry troops to be buried at the famous Paris cemetery Père Lachaise.[4] He died at a Paris hospital on March 17 in 1916 at 10 pm and was first buried at Ivry in Paris before being re-buried together with only 102 other Belgian soldiers and commanders at Père Lachaise in the monument dedicated to the Belgian soldiers who died in France during World War I.[1] He was awarded the “Croix de Guerre” and the Yser Medal. 769 soldiers of the special force “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” have been killed during World War I, only 5 have been buried at Père Lachaise in Paris, Cyriel Camiel Lesage being the first.
Private Hector Alidor Lesage[edit]
Hector Alidor Lesage was Cyriel’s younger brother. He was born at Moorslede on October 8 of 1898. He had voluntarily joined the army after his brother’s death and died during the final assault on the Germans on September 28 of 1918. During this assault the Belgian army, under the Flemish/Belgian command of King Albert I of Belgium and under the general command of Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, re-conquered the "Vrijbos" forest of Houthulst. Similar attacks on the Germans took place all over the Front lines in a successful attempt to break the German army and to force them to surrender. Hector Alidor Lesage is buried at the Belgian military cemetery of Houthulst[1] near Ypres (Belgium). He was a soldier “2 kl mil c.s. 1918, 22 Linie 1/1 (1 Cie)”.[1][4] Because he paid the price of the final victory with his own life, he received the following distinctions: the “Croix de Guerre”, the “Medal of Victory” (French : Médaille de la Victoire – Flemish : Overwinningsmedaille) and the “Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918”.
Refuge at Oudezeele in France during WWI[edit]
In 1914, when the German troops approached West Flanders inBelgium many civilians have escaped to France in an attempt to flee from the violence. So did the family Lesage. Emile and Eudoxie moved to Oudezeele with their children. This was remarkably close to the frontline at just 36 km from their village of Beselare. Being so close they could easily hear the violence taking place in their home area around the Ypres Salient, just 26 km away, the Battle of Langemark, just 30 km away and the Battle of Passchendaele, just 36 km away. Hector Alidor was nearly 16 years old in 1914. The Lesage family stayed with a hospitable family at a farm at Oudezeele where Hector Alidor would later decide to voluntarily join the Belgian army and fight the Germans in 1918. The eldest daughters of the Lesage family helped with the household and to raise the children of the French family[5], whereas the youngest were their playmates[6][7][8][9]. It is being said that one of the French sons would later become a priest and that he has always acknowledged de Lesages for the faith and the education they had shared with him during their refuge[10].
Family and Relatives[edit]
Cyriel Camiel Lesage and Hector Alidor Lesage were the two eldest brothers of Irma Helena Lesage (Moorslede 1905 - Kortrijk 1953)[11] who is the grandmother of musician doctor Françoise Vanhecke and Georgia Tech professor Nico Felicien Declercq. For the two brothers' parents Emile Theophile Lesage and Eudoxie Romanie Lammens the loss of their two eldest sons has been a wound that would never heal. After the death of her sons until she died in 1931 Eudoxie Romanie Lammens mourned and dressed in black and devoted her time to her remaining children and to praying at the "Conferie van het Heilig Hart" at Beselare[12]. Their village Beselare had been totally destroyed just like most of the villages along the Western Front. It is being told that Emile Theophile Lesage was a very amicable person and a distinguished farmer whose words of wisdom and care for others have been an inspiration to many[13]. Both parents died during the interbellum and have been buried at Beselare where their grave has been located until the local authorities sadly removed it in 2010.
Brothers Oscar Lesage and Daniël Lesage[edit]
Oscar Lesage (Moorslede 1906 - Roeselare 1990), a younger brother of Cyriel Camiel and Hector Alidor was 34 years old when Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in 1940 and the Battle of Belgium was being fought. Oscar Lesage was a military with the Belgian Cavalry[8] and survived the war to become a farmer afterwards. Daniël Lesage[9], (Moorslede 1911 - Deerlijk 1988), the youngest brother, had been refused by the army because of a badly repaired wrist-fracture. There was another brother, Gerard Lesage, who has died shortly after marriage and whose widow, Magdalena Meersseman (Moorslede 1899 - Roeselare 1976), has remarried Daniël Lesage[14].
Great-Grandfathers in Napoleon’s Grande Armée[edit]
Cyriel Camiel and Hector Alidor were the eldest sons of Emile Theophile Lesage (1857-1938) from Westrozebeke and Eudoxie Romanie Lammens (1868-1931) from Zonnebeke.[11] Emile Theophile Lesage was the son of Louis François Lesage,[11] a landed gentry farmer at Westrozebeke, born at Langemark in 1813. Ironically Langemark would become a disastrous landmark during the famous Battle of Langemarck in 1917. Emile Theophile Lesage was also a grandson of Pierre Charles Dewanckele (1789-1860),[11] a landed gentry farmer at Hooglede who was born at Geluwe as the son of Charles Ignace Dewanckele (1743-1794) and Joanna Clara Vermeersch (1751-1831) and who has been a soldier in the "Grande Armée" army of Napoleon Bonaparte.[15] Eudoxie Romanie Lammens was the granddaughter of Joseph Leopold Lammens (1790-1847) from Vladslo[11] equally a soldier in the "Grande Armée" army of Napoleon Bonaparte.[15] The "Grande Armée" is known for its invasion of Russia in 1812-1813 in which Joseph Leopold Lammens and Pierre Charles Dewanckele have participated as soldiers.[15]
Kinship with Peter Benoit[edit]
The above-mentioned Pierre Charles Dewanckele (1789-1860) is the great-grandson[11] of Marie Jeanne Christine Benoit (Waregem 1682 - Vichte 1724) and Pierre Camerteyn (Waregem 1677 - Waregem 1754) and is therefore a blood-related family member of music composer Peter Benoit (1834-1901) through the family line Benoit-Camerteyn-Dewanckele. [16]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 In Flanders Fields Museum : database of names and details of every Belgian soldier killed during WWI ]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Website dedicated to the Belgian Chasseurs à pied (in French)
- ↑ The battle of Buggenhout (in Dutch)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Belgium's Memorial Organization listing the names of soldiers at different locations in Belgium and France
- ↑ mortuary card of Martha Lesage (Westrozebeke March 9 1893 – Roeselare January 13 1983), printed at Rumbeke.
- ↑ mortuary card of Godelieve Angela Lesage, (Moorslede August 18 1903 – Roeselare June 23 1990), printed by Drukkerij-begrafenisonderneming-funerarium Derveaux, Molenstraat 4, Passendale.
- ↑ mortuary card of Irma Lesage (Moorslede February 20 1905 – Deerlijk June 7 1953), printed by drukkerij Frans Demets, St Lodewijk-Deerlijk.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 mortuary card of Oscar Lesage (Moorslede June 13 1906 - Roeselare September 10 1990), printed by Uitvaartverzorging Funerarium Vandecandelaere - Spruytte, Passendale.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 mortuary card of Daniël Lesage (Moorslede July 15 1911 - Deerlijk April 29 1988), printed by Rouwceremonie Vandercruyssen Deerlijk at Drukkery Astoria.
- ↑ mortuary card of Amandine Lesage, (Westrozebeke September 5 1895 – Ieper November 28 1983), printed by begrafenisonderming Jonckheere at Langemark, at Drukwerk A. Vansteenkiste-Lecour, Bikschote.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 The National Archives of Belgium where tables and certificates of birth, death and marriages can be retrieved online
- ↑ mortuary card of Eudoxie Lammens, May 5 1931, printed by Druk Jos Lernout, Beselare
- ↑ mortuary card of Emile Lesage, October 4 1938, printed by Druk D. Van Kersschaever Koster Beselare
- ↑ mortuary card of Magdalena Meersseman, (Moorslede Ferbruary 6 1899 - Roeselare October 6 1976), printed by Desimpel, Moorslede.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Name list of soldiers ('conscrits') in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte from the department of Lys (West Flanders) ]
- ↑ website containing the entire ancestry tree of Peter Benoit (Java application needed)
External links[edit]
- The official flag of the “2e Régiment de Chasseurs à Pied” including the military distinctions earned during WWI
- A private website dedicated to a soldier of the Belgian Chasseurs à pied (in Dutch)
- The Belgian Military Cemetery of Houthulst (wikipedia page in Dutch)
- A museum dedicated to the Chasseurs à Pied
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