1914-1944
Marguerite Bervoets had a degree in philosophy and literature and was also active as a poet. When the Germans invaded Belgium, she worked as a teacher in Tournai. On 8 August 1942, she and her fellow resistance fighter Cécile Detournay went to the Nazi-occupied Chièvres airfield to photograph anti-aircraft guns. They were caught and arrested. Bervoets was deported to Germany on 12 June 1943, sentenced to death on 12 March 1944 and beheaded by guillotine in Wolfenbüttel prison on 7 August 1944 - together with Fernande Volral.
After the war, she became a national symbol of courage and perseverance. A biography about her was published in 1947 and was reprinted several times. In Mons and Tournai, memorial plaques were unveiled, and in La Louvière a statue was erected in honour of her sacrifice. The Royal Athenaeum of Mons bears her name, and Marguerite Bervoets streets were named after her in places such as Forest, Mons and even Paris. In 2004 and 2014, new biographies were published, and in the latter year, an exhibition was dedicated to her in Mons, on the occasion of her centenary. Her memory is kept alive thanks to the non-profit organisation Comité Marguerite Bervoets and the ULB prize for students of literary studies.
Sources:
● Ledenmagazine vzw Helden van het verzet, maart 2025
● Cegesoma: https://www.belgiumwwii.be/nl/belgie-in-oorlog/personen/bervoets-margue…