The Meetjesland in the north of East-Flanders, Belgium

That fateful day of 14 October 1944

Since at least a whole month Waterland-Oudeman was chockablock full of refugees, most of them from Watervliet, a neighbouring village. Early in the morning of 14 October 1944 one single shell hit a shelter on the farm of Petrus Van Acker and 22 civilians lost their life. Four days later the whole region was liberated.

The funeral card of nine of the victims, all relatives of each other.

Click on the image below to see a larger copy of it.

Ivo Verweire (° Bassevelde 30-11-1877) and his wife
Louise Van Acker (° Watervliet 18-4-1881)

Stephanie Seghers (° Watervliet 17-8-1859) the widow of Henri Van Acker

Jules Verheecke (° Kaprijke 10-10-1890) and his wife
Celina Van Acker (° Watervliet 29-10-1891)

Petrus Van Acker (° Watervliet 19-7-1884)

Cyriel Van Acker (° IJzendijke 8-1-1907) and his wife
Germaine Neyt (° Watervliet 18-1-1913) and their son
Petrus Van Acker (° Waterland-Oudeman 20-3-1933)

And the other victims of this one bomb:
De Clerck, Albert, Watervliet,
Martens, Alice, Watervliet,
Martens, Germaine, Watervliet,
Martens, Kamiel, Watervliet,
Martens, Lucienne, daughter of Maurice and Germaine, Watervliet,
Martens, Maurice, Watervliet,
Neyt, Emiel, Waterland-Oudeman,
Overmeire, Eduard, St-Jan-in-Eremo,
Staelens, Josephine, Watervliet,
Thysebaert, Emma, Watervliet,
Van der Linde, Adeline, Watervliet,
Versluys, Petrus, Watervliet,
Verweire, Emerance, Watervliet.

If you read Dutch, here in "Brandende Polders" Burning Polders, a book by Ivan De Wilde, Jozef De Paepe and Marc Van Hulle, 1994, Uitgeverij Taptoe, Eeklo, p. 144 you can read more about this catastrophy.

All about Waterland-Oudeman
Our Meetjesland — Table of Contents — Find something in this Meetjesland website