Petrus Joannes Maria Dox (7 May 1898 – 26 November 1964) was a Belgian

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

soldier during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

known for his opposition to the

Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...

's French-speaking officers' discriminatory treatment of Flemish-speaking soldiers. His vocal criticism led to his dismissal from front line service and his reassignment to the

woodchopping platoon of the Orne The woodchoppers of the Orne ( nl, houthakkers van de Orne) were 10 Flemish soldiers during the First World War punished for their active or passive involvement in the Flemish Movement in the Belgian Army. They were removed from their platoons and ...

, a

penal military unit Penal military units, including penal battalions, penal companies, etc., are military formations consisting of convicts mobilized for military service. Such formations may contain soldiers convicted of offenses under military law, persons enrolled ...

. After the war, Dox moved to the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

where he served as a

Christian missionary A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

for the next few decades. He was killed during the

Simba rebellion The Simba rebellion, also known as the Orientale revolt, was a regional uprising which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1963 and 1965 in the wider context of the Congo Crisis and the Cold War. The rebellion, located in t ...

in November 1964.

Biography

World War I

Around 1914, Dox joined the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

as a

novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession A profession is a field of work that has ...

. In 1916, despite a Belgian royal decree that only men born before 1897 could be

conscripted Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

, he was drafted to fight in the

. As a member of the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, Dox had to serve in the medical corps, and after only a single month of training he was sent to the Western Front. He was critical of the French-speaking officers' attitude towards Flemish-speaking soldiers, and wrote letters on the subject. This led to his demotion to a penal unit, the

, which he joined on 30 March 1918.Tom Simoens, CHTP-BEG - n° 23 / 2011
Van arrangeren tot renseigneren. Smaad en geweld Van militairen Tegen hun oversten tijdens de eerste wereldoorlog
The military's official conclusion read: "Doubts regarding his patriotism. Has expressed hostility toward national institutes in a letter sent from neutral territory." Dox was released eight months after the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, on 10 July 1919. One of his brothers, Ludovicus Gommarus, died in a German prisoner-of-war camp. His parents were also held captive by the German occupiers due to his father's participation in the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

Missionary in Congo

Dox took his

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

on 7 November 1924,Petrus Dox
odis.be, 25 October 2017 and moved to the

on 18 December 1928, to work as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

for the next 36 years under his priest name, Valentinus. He and his brother Frans, who was also a missionary, were killed in

Watsa Watsa is a community in the Haut-Uele Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, administrative center of the Watsa Territory. It is served by Watsa Airport, a grass airstrip south of the town. Watsa was the location of the VI battalion o ...

during the

on 26 November 1964. In total, 15 Belgian missionaries were killed.Zes paters als bij wonder aan de dood ontsnapt
Newspaper article, 1964. A square in their hometown of Lier was named after him and his brother.Verklaring straatnamen
Lier.be, 4 February 2020Gebroeders Doxplein
inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dox, Pieter 1898 births 1964 deaths Belgian Dominicans Belgian Army personnel of World War I Belgian Roman Catholic missionaries Dominican missionaries Flemish Dominicans Flemish people People from Lier, Belgium People murdered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Roman Catholic missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Belgian Army soldiers Belgian people murdered abroad Male murder victims