The first stamp reads "PATRIOTISCHE MILITIE" and "NORD LIMBURG" around the edges. In the centre, "O. F. EISDEN". The initials stand for "Onafhankelijkheidsfront" - "Independence Front" in English or "Front de L'Indépendance" in French. The Independence Front was one of the biggest Secret Army Organisations formed by the merging of the Army of Partisans (some 13,500 members) and the Patriotic Militia (some 22,000 members).

The second stamp is blurred but you can recognize the Belgian motto in Flemish and French: "EENDRACHT MAAKT MACHT" and "L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE", (Strength lies in Unity), around the edges. In the centre, there is an "A" and an "S" on each side of the Belgian Royal Crown for "Armée Secrète" and, underneath, I can just pick out what appears to be "SECTOR REKEN" and then, clearly discernable, "GEHEIM LEGER", the Flemish words for Secret Army.

Men, women and children were all involved in the Resistance. Note that some of the men are wearing armbands or brassards. These were made of cloth, many with a badge showing Leo Belgicus or the colours of the Belgian Flag. Each organisation had its own local version (sometimes several versions) of insignia. [If you are interested in the various insignia, click here to visit Maarten Verburg's Belgian Website, written in French and Flemish. The illustrations take a few minutes to load but are worth waiting for as he has a large number of different types of brassards on his site].