Frans Selleslagh (1941-2008) graduated in history from the French-speaking section of the Catholic University of Leuven, doing his dissertation on the industrialisation of Vilvoorde and its social consequences in 1890-1914. He first worked in education, then became press redactor and assistant editorial secretary at the Standaard newspaper. He joined the Centre for Research and Historical Study of the Second World War (institutional ancestor of CegeSoma)  as scientific attaché in April 1969. Appointed assistant in 1973, first assistant in 1986 and head of research in 1994, he became a key figure in the institution, dedicating many years to the collection and classification of wartime records. He conducted various fresearch, leading to the collection of historical documents and, above all, eyewitness testimonies in the form of questionnaires. Even today, his research on the Young Christian Workers (JOC) organization (1970-1971), forced labour in Germany (1972-1978) and the Catholic Church (1977-1979), to name but the most important, constitute a gold mine for anyone interested in WW2. He also made a major contribution to the development of the Images and Sounds sector of the institution, well aware of the importance of these historical sources. From 1972 he was also the Dutch-speaking editorial secretary of the journal of the Centre, a position he held until he retired from CegeSoma in 2002 .