Arnaud Charon

Jules Wellens (1853-1932) was appointed to the presidency of the Military Court -the highest court of the Belgian military justice -in 1913. One year later, the outbreak of the First World War radically changed his destiny. From the first days of the war, as he began to follow the retreat of the army, the magistrate began writing a diary, a copy of which is kept in the National Archives of Belgium. For more than three years, he described his daily life marked by the suffering of a man separated from his loved ones and his fight to improve the functioning of the military justice. In permanent struggle with the Auditor General and some of the army commanders, Wellens managed, however, to profoundly change the way Belgian military Justice worked. This makes the excerpts of this rare testimony all the more interesting, since this exceptional source highlights the unfairly forgotten fight of a courageous magistrate.

A l’automne 1916, les Allemands deportent les travailleurs civils belges en depit des conventions internationales. Incitant tout d’abord les embauches volontaires, l’occupant decide en 1916 de deporter en masse les hommes, surtout ouvriers, de 18 a 55 ans, soit en Allemagne pour travailler dans l’industrie, soit dans le Nord de la France pour des travaux d’interets militaires. Cette contribution aborde l’apres-guerre des deportes, synonyme d’une quete de reconnaissance pleine et entiere des prejudices subis durant l’occupation, qu’ils ne parviendront pourtant jamais a atteindre, tant par voies judiciaires que par voies politiques.

Jules Wellens (1853-1932) was appointed to the presidency of the Military Court - the highest court of the Belgian military justice - in 1913. One year later, the outbreak of the WWI radically changed his destiny. From the first days of the war, as he began to follow the retreat of the army, the magistrate began writing a diary, a copy of which is kept in the National Archives of Belgium. For more than three years, he described his daily life marked by the suffering of a man separated from his loved ones and his fight to improve the functionning of the military justice. In permanent struggle with the Auditor General and some of the army commanders, Wellens managed, however, to profoundly change the way Belgian military Justice worked. This makes the excerpts of this rare testimony all the more interesting, since this exceptional source highlights the unfairly forgotten fight of a courageous magistrate.

À l’automne 1916, les Allemands déportent les travailleurs civils belges en dépit des conventions internationales. Incitant tout d'abord les embauches volontaires, l'occupant décide en 1916 de déporter en masse les hommes, surtout ouvriers, de 18 à 55 ans, soit en Allemagne pour travailler dans l'industrie, soit dans le Nord de la France pour des travaux d'intérêts militaires. Cette contribution aborde l’après-guerre des déportés, synonyme d’une quête de reconnaissance pleine et entière des préjudices subis durant l’occupation, qu’ils ne parviendront pourtant jamais à atteindre, tant par voies judiciaires que par voies politiques.

By the Autumn 1916, The Germans deported the Belgian civilians workers in complete violation of the international Conventions. Firstly inciting the voluntary recruitment, the occupier decided in 1916 to deport massively the men, mostly workers, from 18 to 55 years old, in Germany to work in the industry or in North of France for military works. This contribution explains the post-war period of the deportees, which is synonym of a quest to fully recognition of the prejudices endured under the occupation, which they will never reach, neither by judiciary ways, neither by political ways.