Belgium remembers: Commemorations mark 80th anniversary of liberation by WW2 Allies

Belgium prepares to celebrate the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation during World War Two with festivities, ceremonies and tributes across the country.

Some three months after the Allies landed in Normandy on D-Day, Hainaut capital Mons was the first Belgian city to be liberated on 2 September 1944.

In the following days, American and British troops advanced to Brussels and Antwerp, while Polish and Canadian soldiers joined the Belgian army to push back enemy lines in West and East Flanders, assisted by Resistance groups.

It was on the evening of Sunday 3 September 1944, that the British Second Army, led by a Welsh Guards’ tank squadron, entered Brussels via Avenue de Tervuren. On 4 September, the 1st Infantry Brigade of the Free Belgian Forces joined forces with the Guards Armoured Division to complete the city's liberation, amid scenes of huge jubilation.

But once the initial euphoria settled down, local citizens were resentful about the continued presence of Allied soldiers, and bitter fighting persisted in parts of the country.

Battles were notable around the Scheldt estuary and off the Flemish and Dutch coast. The Allies needed to clear the Western part of the Scheldt river and the port of Antwerp quickly, because supplying goods from the French coast cost too much time and resources. On 28 November, Allied ships finally docked in Antwerp.

The Canadians played a key role in these specific clashes, as did the Belgian resistance. Still, German forces refused to surrender after this defeat and bombed the city. They attempted to recapture Antwerp with a large-scale offensive in the Ardennes, including the famous siege of Bastogne. It wasn’t until the end of January 1945 before the Allies managed to wipe out most of the progress made by the Germans.

For more information about the liberation of Brussels and the final WWII battles in Belgium, read this article about the country’s race to freedom.

To mark the 80th anniversary of this tumultuous historic period, ceremonies and festivities are being held around the country. They include parades of historic wartime vehicles such as tanks (pictured above) and other armoured cars that are preserved and on display all-year-round at Bastogne Barracks.

Here's a selection of upcoming events open to the public.

BRUSSELS

29 August to 8 September, 10.00-18.00 Exhibition Résistants d’origine Congolaise dans la Résistance belge 1940-1945. The contribution of the Congolese during the war has largely been overlooked. This pop-up event shows the journey of individuals, resistance members and voluntary soldiers. It includes documentary screenings and personal accounts of wartime experiences. Free entry. Espace 16 Arts, Rue Rossini 16 (Anderlecht)

30 August to 6 September Photo exhibition. The show at the city hall records scenes from Brussels’ liberation in 1944. Militia and Ogival Hall, Grand Place

3 September, 10.00 Official commemoration ceremony and parade. Brussels celebrates its liberation in a formal event followed by a parade to the Grand Place accompanied by the Welsh Guards Band and period military vehicles. The procession will pass in front of Manneken Pis who dons a special 1942 Belgian para commando costume for the occasion. Congress Column, Place de la Liberté

3 September, 11.00-20.00 Brussels Liberation Day. A free programme of activities fill the capital’s medieval square, from a display of military vehicles and WWII campsite to retro dance classes, swing music demonstration and concerts. A highlight is a performance by the Welsh Guards Band from 13.00 to 14.00. Grand Place

3 to 5 September, 18.30, Vendôme cinema Festival Les Trous de la Mémoire. Three screenings and debates are dedicated to the sentiment ‘Never forget’ and ‘Never again’. The memory project includes more than 100 hours of unpublished audiovisual recordings of witnesses of the Resistance during the Second World War, a collection of films and historical photos unknown to the general public, illustrating the Liberation of France and Europe. Chaussée de Wavre 18 (Ixelles)

4 September, 19.00-23.00 Brussels Liberation 80th Anniversary Dinner. Organised by the Royal British Legion – Brussels Branch, this official dinner will be attended by Belgian and UK representatives as well as Brigade Piron officers and the Welsh Guards (waiting list only). Club Prince Albert, Rue des Petites Carmes 20

WALLONIA

30 August to 1 September Mons Immersive weekend of commemorations. As the first Belgian city to be liberated, the Hainaut capital offers a weekend of reenactments, a period vehicle parade, treasure hunt, concerts and a Liberation ball. At the Mons Memorial Museum on Saturday, all ages can exercise their creativity by making flags and radios in workshops. On Sunday, at 11.00, a military procession sets off from Rue des Droits de l’Homme to Boulevard Dolez, where a parade of arms will take place in the presence of Belgian and American military detachments. The parade will gather in the Grand-Place around 16.15. Multiple locations in Mons

7 September, 9.00-11.00 Tournai 80th anniversary of the liberation. The Hainaut city was liberated on 3 September 1944. A total of four ceremonies commemorate the occasion as well as a display of historical vehicles, a Liberation march and a garrison concert. The programme kicks off in the village of Hertain at the Monument des Anglais at 7.00, continues in Tournai at the Monument de la Résistance at 8.00, before moving to the Belfry in the Grand Place at 9.45. The final ceremony is at the Mémorial des 3 Soldats Américains in Gaurain at 11.30. Grand Place and villages around Tournai

4 to 9 September Wavre Liberation celebrations. The commemorations begin on Wednesday with ceremonies and military displays, followed by the exhibition Wavre Liberated! at Château de l’Ermitage (showing until 9 September). On Thursday, a ceremony will honour the memory of Corporal Lance Hugues in Basse-Wavre. A carillon concert dedicated to the British Isles is to be broadcast live on YouTube on Friday and celebrations continue on 8 September with a tea dance and a parade of vintage military vehicles.

FLANDERS

7 September, 10.00-17.00 Talbot House WWII Liberation Festival: Theater Story Tours & Barbecue. The house that was once a refuge for British soldiers during WWI is now a museum that is running special tours o commemorate the liberation anniversary. Visitors will need to register for the barbecue that is accompanied by music from the Dixieland Street Band. Gasthuisstraat 43, Poperinge

7-8 September, 10.00-17.00 Exhibition Antwerpen onder de V-bommen. If the port city of Antwerp was liberated on 4 September, joy was replaced by terror as the Nazi regime bombarded the city for 175 long days. This exhibition recounts the traumatising period for the city’s residents via original objects, models, documents, uniforms and a life-size replica of a V1 bomb. It also explores the production of weapons and artillery and the city’s anti-aerial defence systems. Video testimonies by people who lived through the experience reveal how citizens attempted to survive the onslaught. Steenbergstraat 13

8 September, 11.00-13.00 Liberation of Antwerp 80th Tank Ceremony. Organised by the Antwerp Branch Royal British Legion, the ceremony will be attended by the Band of the Grenadier Guards. Cromwell Tank, Jan Van Rijswijklaan, Antwerp

Photo: Citizens celebrate the liberation of Brussels in September 1944 ©Belga Archives; Tank ©War Heritage Institute