Paul Léon Delwart (18 October 1874 – 19 August 1900) was a Belgian officer in the ''

Force Publique The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; ) was the military of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo from 1885 to 1960. It was established after Belgian Army officers travelled to the Free State to found an armed force in the colony on L ...

'' of the

Congo Free State The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...

Early years

Paul Léon Delwart was born on 18 October 1874 in

Braine-le-Comte Braine-le-Comte (; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Braine-le-Comte had a total population of 21,649. The total area is which gives a population density of 260 inhabi ...

, Belgium, son of Léon Delwart and Carlotte Vandermies. He entered the Military School in 1894, and was made a second lieutenant on 18 December 1896. He was assigned to the first regiment of ''chasseurs à pied'' (

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

Congo service

In 1897 Delwart volunteered to serve in the ''Force Publique'' of the Congo Free State, and was accepted. He left Antwerp on 6 October 1897 and arrived in Boma on 30 October 1897. He was assigned as a sub-lieutenant of the ''Force Publique'' to the Rubi– Uele zone. He reached Djabir on 22 January 1898 and took command of the station. He developed

anemia Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...

and in June 1898 was forced to return to Boma. Delwart spent a few days in hospital, then joined the battery of Fort de Shinkakasa. However, his illness had not been cured and on 25 September 1898 he left for Europe. On 8 June 1899 Delwart left Antwerp again, with the rank of lieutenant. He arrived in Boma on 1 July 1899 and was assigned to command the special contingent of the ''Force Publique'' in

Orientale Province Orientale Province () is one of the former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its predecessors the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It went through a series of boundary changes between 1898 and 2015, when it was divided ...

. He travelled to

Uvira Uvira is a city strategically located in the South Kivu Province of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covering approximately 16 square kilometers and with an estimated population of 726,000 as of 2024, it borders Baful ...

to take up his command, but developed

hematuria Hematuria or haematuria is defined as the presence of blood or red blood cells in the urine. "Gross hematuria" occurs when urine appears red, brown, or tea-colored due to the presence of blood. Hematuria may also be subtle and only detectable with ...

. Delwart died in Uvira on 19 August 1900. Frederik-Valdemar Olsen replaced Delwart in Uvira as leader of the elite Belgian company in the

Ruzizi The Ruzizi (also sometimes spelled Rusizi, French: ''Rivière Ruzizi''; Dutch: ''Ruzizi Rivier'') is a river, long, that flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa, descending from about to about above sea level over its lengt ...

–

Kivu Kivu is the name for a large region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that borders Lake Kivu. It was a ''Région'' (read 'province') of the country under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1966 to 1988. As an official ''Région'' ...

region.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delwart, Paul Léon 1874 births 1900 deaths Officers of the Force Publique Belgian expatriates Congo Free State people