The woodchoppers of the Orne ( nl, houthakkers van de Orne) were 10

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; ...

soldiers 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 ...

punished for their active or passive involvement in the

Flemish Movement The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promo ...

in 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. ...

. They were removed from their platoons and moved to 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 ...

called the Special Forestry Platoon (''Peloton Spécial Forestier'') in 1918. In this penal military unit, stationed in Orné,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in France, they had to work as woodchoppers as

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

.Dr. J. Goossenaertskring reikt voor het eerst Alfons De Schepperprijs uit
Geert Herman, Nieuwsblad, 7 juli 2014, article in DutchPeter Verplancke, VRT, 15 juli 2018, article in Dutch
/ref>Tom Simoens, CHTP-BEG - n° 23 / 2011, article in Dutc
Van arrangeren tot renseigneren. Smaad en geweld Van militairen Tegen hun oversten tijdens de eerste wereldoorlog
/ref> They were required to work 12 hours a day in harsh living conditions, they were paid 1

Belgian franc The Belgian franc ( nl, Belgische frank, french: Franc belge, german: Belgischer Franken) was the currency of the Kingdom of Belgium from 1832 until 2002 when the Euro was introduced. It was subdivided into 100 subunits, each known as a in Dutch ...

each day. The 10 soldiers were Paul Davidts (oldest of the 10 and spokesperson of the group, lawyer and later acquitted by the

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

,Maurits Basse, De Vlaamsche Beweging van 1905 tot 1930(1930-1933), article in Dutc

/ref> Lode Beets, Pol Bogaert (from

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

), Alfons De Schepper, Karel-Lodewijk De Schepper,

Pieter Dox Petrus Joannes Maria Dox (7 May 1898 – 26 November 1964) was a Belgian Flemish soldier during the First World War known for his opposition to the Belgian Army's French-speaking officers' discriminatory treatment of Flemish-speaking soldi ...

(from Lier, Born 7 May 1898),Krant 't Pallieterke, 18 juli 1986, article in Dutch
/ref>

Ward Hermans Cornelius Eduardus Hermans (6 February 1897 – 23 November 1992) was a Belgium, Belgian Flemish Movement, Flemish nationalist politician and writer. Hermans saw service with the Belgian Army during the First World War before becoming involved ...

(from

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

, writer),Schrijversgewijs, Vlaamse schrijvers vanaf 1830, article in Dutch
/ref> Maurits Geerardyn, Clement Ledegen and Frans Vannyvel.Reproductie zwart wit foto van de "De Vlaamsche houthakkers", article in Dutch

/ref> The attitude of the 10 soldiers was defined as

defeatism Defeatism is the acceptance of defeat without struggle, often with negative connotations. It can be linked to pessimism in psychology, and may sometimes be used synonymously with fatalism or determinism. History The term ''defeatism'' is common ...

by the French-speaking military leaders. Fearing that the soldiers would desert to the German forces they were sent deep into France to work as woodchoppers.

References

{{Reflist World War I Penal units Law of war Belgian legislation Legal history of Belgium Politics of Belgium Political history of Belgium

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Languages of Belgium Bilingualism in Belgium

Belgian Army personnel of World War I

See also

References