FACIAL INJURIES. Lucie V. was 13 when she was seriously injured by shrapnel in August 1918 in Koekelare (Dixmude). She was struck in the face and her entire chest. The Germans treated her and sent her to Saint-Jean hospital in Bruges to be operated on. She did survive but worked only from time to time after the war, as the lasting damage to her face was extremely debilitating.

 

 

 

BEATEN AT 3 YEARS OF AGE. Born in Brussels in 1911, William V. suffered severe injuries in his left leg. He was violently abused and beaten by the German soldiers for some unknown reason. He was offered care and treatment at Katwijk aan Zee in the Netherlands, along with other orphans. It was discovered during the medical examination that his entire left leg and foot were severely atrophied, resulting in 30% permanent atrophy.

 

 

LETHAL GASES. Two young teenagers suffered from poison gas in October-November 1918: Honoré D. in Ruddervoorde (Dixmude), and Marcel L. in Tournai.  

Honoré, seeking refuge in the cellars of the Verscheure brewery, was affected by gas coming from the German lines, as the front was not so very far away. He was taken to Bruges where he was treated with a certain degree of success.

Unlike Marcel, who, unfortunately, did not survive the poisonous gases launched during a British bombing raid on the city of Tournai. He had sought refuge in a cellar with his family and their neighbours.

 

 

 

INJURED ON THE BEACH. 7-year-old Madeleine D. lived in Ostend. On the morning of 15 June 1915, a plane bombed the city before crashing into the sea, not far from the little girl. Madeleine was severely injured in the foot by shrapnel. She was taken to Saint-Jean hospital in Bruges, where she stayed for 4 months, being operated on several times.