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Belgian Flag

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The Commemorative Plaque

Description of the Plaque

The Plaque itself is very interesting and an enlargement is reproduced below. Note the detail in the inverted triangle at the top - once you know what it represents it becomes clear. This shows the Lion Head symbol used by the Belgian Secret Army and a badge was typically worn on armbands. To see an example in colour, click on the triangle link lower down.

A.S G.L

The quotation from Shakespeare is difficult to trace. Shakespeare's plays and sonnets have been translated into many languages and, as a good translation conveys the meaning rather than the literal translation of every word, Shakespeare's original late sixteenth century English will have been lost. An alternative literal translation of the Flemish Shakespearean quotation on the Plaque is: "Who dies fighting, wins fame and kills death". The nearest match I can find is from "Henry V", Act III, Scene II (spoken by Pistol):

During World War II, this famous play was made into a film starring Laurence Olivier. Released in 1944, this marvellous screen adaptation was, without a doubt, a 'propaganda' film made at the moment that Britain and the Allied Forces were planning the Normandy Campaign. (These words appear at the start of the film: "To the commandoes and airborne troops of Great Britain, the spirit of whose ancestors it has been humbly attempted to recapture in some ensuing scenes, this film is dedicated"). The popular patriotism of the film was used as an uplifting force and, as the Allies advanced from the Normandy beaches to liberate France, (Montgomery's troops seized Antwerp in September of that year), this rousing film would have been more widely distributed and certainly dubbed for the inspiration of our European friends.

Hymn: Non Nobis Domine from Henry V [3:51 mins]

Shubert's Ave Maria¹ [4:40 mins]

N.B. Non Nobis Domine is based on the Psalm of David (Psalm 115). This begins with the words Non nobis, Domine--"Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to thy Name be glory". Originally heard on the soundtrack of Laurence Olivier's "Henry V" during the battle of Agincourt, [Act 4, scene 8]

"Do we all holy rites;
Let there be sung 'Non nobis' and 'Te Deum;'
The dead with charity enclosed in clay:
And then to Calais; and to England then:
Where ne'er from France arrived more happy men."
This version, by Patrick Doyle, is from the remake of the film.

MARTHE JANSSEN-LEYDER

The Plaque Unveiling Ceremony

Secret Army Badge and Insignia

Links to Some of My Pages
My Tribute to Marthe Janssen-Leyder   |   Lyrics and Music for Little Grey Home In The West Map of Belgium and Location of Eisden   |   Secret Army Badge and Armband L'histoire de La Plaque en Français - Les lettres de René Janssen Marthe's True Stories How I Met Billie Boxton   |   The Escape of Four Russian Officers   |   A Traitor Amongst Us
	"Croydon Times" Article, 23 November 1946 Belgian Newspaper Article, 31 October 1950 One of the Airmen Helped by Marthe Douglas Jennings' Story Complete Site Map   |   My Home Page