Members of the resistance and political prisoners (1914-1918)
1. The main archival fonds kept at CegeSoma and at the State Archives:
At CegeSoma, you will find contextual information on members of the resistance and political prisoners from 1914-1918 thanks to the rich library of the center. However, you will not find any individual files there. It may still be interesting to also consult the digital catalog Pallas to see if there is any information about the person concerned in certain archives.
For personal files, it is best to refer you to the Service for War Victims (Service Archives des Victimes de la Guerre) which is part of the 3rd Operational Direction Brussels of the State Archives. It is located in the same building as CegeSoma. Its task is to collect documentation on persons who were pursued by the occupant in order to grant them a "national recognition status", a pension or an annuity. In addition, it also holds general archives on compulsory and voluntary labor, resistance, persecution of Jews and gypsies, as well as repatriation and post-war processes.
Different archival sources are also available at the State Archives :
- For resistance networks : Archives de la Guerre, Commission des Archives des Services patriotiques établis en Territoire occupé au Front de l’Ouest
- Prison archives
- The War Damages Tribunals
For local research, it is useful to consult communal archives. Look also at the digital catalog of the State Archives: Search.
2. Where can I find archival fonds outside CegeSoma and the State Archives?
- The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History also holds individual files of military and civilians, including political prisoners.
3. Where to find additional information on the subject?
- DEBRUYNE Emmanuel and VAN YPERSELE Laurence, De la guerre de l'ombre aux ombres de la guerre, l'espionnage en Belgique durant la guerre 1914-1918 : histoire et mémoire, Labor, Brussels, 2004.
- DEBRUYNE Emmanuel, Le réseau Edith Cavell : des femmes et des hommes en résistance, Racine, Brussels, 2015.
- VAN DER FRAENEN Jan, Voor den kop geschoten : executies van Belgische spionnen door de Duitse bezetter (1914-1918), Roularta, Roeselare, 2009.
If you plan to visit our reading room, please prepare your visit well in advance
If you need further information, please contact us by e-mail: cegesoma@arch.be