1918-2018 - World War I Remembrance - Wire of Death and its sad history
One of the most sad tangible legacies of World War I is located near the Klinge
on the border between Belgium and The Netherlands.
It is called the Wire of Death.
History
In 1914 the German Empire invaded Belgium, although King Albert I of
Belgium once said: Belgium is a nation not a road.
Shortly after the German invasion, Belgians started to cross the border to
The Netherlands en masse.
In 1914 one million Belgian refugees were already in The Netherlands,
but because of the war a lot of people tried to cross the border.
Many wanted to escape the German occupation, others wanted to join
their relatives who had already fled, and some of them wanted to take part
in the war to join the forces on the allied front. Others were spies,
smugglers or deliverers of clandestine mail.
During World War I, the Netherlands stayed neutral, they were forced
by the German Empire to control their borders, the Wire of Death
made it more easier for them, so they never protested against the
new created border.
Construction of the Wire of Death
The Construction of the Wire of Death started in the spring of 1915 and
went over 200 km (125 miles) of land.
On 24 July 1915 the wire was provided with electricity.
The victims
The number of victims is estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 people.
Local newspapers in the Southern Netherlands carried almost daily
reports about people who were lightninged to death.
Further development
The great number of deaths resulted in a sharp increase in Anti-German
sentiment, although people in The Netherlands then were more hostile to
Britain due to the Second Boer War in the South African Republic.
The Kaiser
At the end of the War in 1918, the Kaiser ( Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany)
crossed the border from Belgium into the neutral Neherlands to
take refuge there.
After World War I
After the signing of the armistice on 11 November 1918, the power
plants around the wire were shut down and locals on both sides of
the border soon destroyed the much-hated fence.
However as a remembrance of the victims of the Wire of Death,
some small parts of the fence were reconstructed, such as near
The Klinge in East Flanders.
The pictures of the Wire of Death and the Border sign were taken in August 2018
by my father in law: Gaston Verhulst.
on the border between Belgium and The Netherlands.
It is called the Wire of Death.
 |
| Dodendraad - Wire of Death |
History
In 1914 the German Empire invaded Belgium, although King Albert I of
Belgium once said: Belgium is a nation not a road.
Shortly after the German invasion, Belgians started to cross the border to
The Netherlands en masse.
In 1914 one million Belgian refugees were already in The Netherlands,
but because of the war a lot of people tried to cross the border.
Many wanted to escape the German occupation, others wanted to join
their relatives who had already fled, and some of them wanted to take part
in the war to join the forces on the allied front. Others were spies,
smugglers or deliverers of clandestine mail.
During World War I, the Netherlands stayed neutral, they were forced
by the German Empire to control their borders, the Wire of Death
made it more easier for them, so they never protested against the
new created border.
 |
| Dodendraad - Wire of Death |
Construction of the Wire of Death
The Construction of the Wire of Death started in the spring of 1915 and
went over 200 km (125 miles) of land.
On 24 July 1915 the wire was provided with electricity.
The victims
The number of victims is estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 people.
Local newspapers in the Southern Netherlands carried almost daily
reports about people who were lightninged to death.
Further development
The great number of deaths resulted in a sharp increase in Anti-German
sentiment, although people in The Netherlands then were more hostile to
Britain due to the Second Boer War in the South African Republic.
Wilhelm II
Source picture: Wikipedia
The Kaiser
At the end of the War in 1918, the Kaiser ( Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany)
crossed the border from Belgium into the neutral Neherlands to
take refuge there.
After World War I
After the signing of the armistice on 11 November 1918, the power
plants around the wire were shut down and locals on both sides of
the border soon destroyed the much-hated fence.
However as a remembrance of the victims of the Wire of Death,
some small parts of the fence were reconstructed, such as near
The Klinge in East Flanders.
 |
| Border sign - the end of Belgium and the beginning of The Netherlands |
The pictures of the Wire of Death and the Border sign were taken in August 2018
by my father in law: Gaston Verhulst.
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