Anderlecht, Belgium - Remembrance De Tollenaere

Pierre De Tollenaere (Saint-Gilles, 23 March 1907 - Neuengamme, 10 December 1944) was a member of the Belgian resistance in World War II.

 

De Tollenaere was a welder. On July 22, 1941, a few weeks after the start of Operation Barbarossa, he was arrested. During this period, the Germans arrested many Belgian communists and socialists. Together with 255 other Belgians, he was put on the first Belgian transport to a concentration camp. After a journey of 2 days, he reached camp Neuengamme on September 24, 1941. He became a member of the Belgian Solidarity and Resistance Committee, which was led by Julien Lahaut and later by André Mandrycxs.

De Tollenaere was forced to work in Carl Jastram's factory. He had to participate in the production of torpedoes which he sabotaged by delivering bad welding, which led to problems on the submarines. The Germans started an investigation and eventually ended up in the factory, where De Tollenaere was betrayed by a Polish fellow prisoner. After weeks of torture, he was sentenced to death by the camp commander Max Pauly. On December 10, 1944, he was hanged in front of his fellow prisoners.

In his honor, the Pierre De Tollenaereplein was named in his hometown of Anderlecht. There is also a memorial plaque on this square.

 

Order of Service Anderlecht
PDF – 120,3 KB