Monday 20^th May 2024 a remembrance ceremony was held at the Belgian Cemetery in Willemstad.

Here is the communal grave of 159 Belgian soldiers who died in the Netherlands during the Second World War. Most of them were taken prisoner of war by the German army in the area around Ghent after the capitulation of Belgium on May 28, 1940. From there they were transferred to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and then transported with 4 ships to a prisoner of war camp in Germany. The route ran from the Western Scheldt via the canal through Zuid-Beveland and the Oosterschelde to the Hollands Diep.

On May 30, 1940, near Willemstad, the "Rhenus 127" sailed over a German magnetic mine, causing the rhine barge, which was estimated to be overcrowded with more than 1,200 prisoners of war, to explode amidships, break in two and sink. Although most prisoners of war managed to save themselves and were lovingly cared for and nursed in Willemstad and the surrounding area, almost 200 Belgian soldiers drowned, most of whom were given their final resting place in this Plot of Honour.