Lieutenant General Georges Beernaerts (1895-1962) * NEW *

Commander of the Royal Military Academy, 1946–1949, 1950–1951.
Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence, 1949–1950.
Aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent, 1945–1949.
From August 1944, he worked at the Ministry of Defence on the reorganisation of the army following the liberation and the repatriation of Belgian prisoners of war.
After his release from captivity, he served as administrator of the association for the assistance of children of prisoners of war and joined the resistance organisation SABOT. Following his arrest by the Gestapo in October 1942, and after imprisonment in the prisons of Saint-Gilles and Saint-Léonard in Liège, he rejoined the resistance. In July 1943, after being sentenced to a year in prison, he managed to escape from the Geheime Feldpolizei in Ghent and made his way to England.
Major, deputy to the Inspector General of Artillery in May 1940.

Summer uniform model 1935 and kepi, worn by Lieutenant General Beernaerts.

As commander of the Royal Military Academy.

General Beernaerts’ awards:
First row: Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold, Order of the Crown and Order of Leopold II with palm.
Second row: War Cross 1914–1918 with Palms, War Cross 1940 with Palm, Resistance Medal 1940–1945.
Third row: Fire Cross, Cross of the Liberated 1940–1945, Victory Medal, Commemorative Medal 1914–1918.
Fourth row: Commemorative Medal 1940–1945 with crossed sabres (1940 campaign) and lightning bolts (Resistance), Prisoner of War Medal 1940–1945, Political Prisoner’s Cross 1940–1945 with three stars, Military Cross 1st Class.
Fifth row: Centenary Medal 1830–1930, Commander of the Order of the Oak Crown (Luxembourg), Commander of the Legion of Honour (France), Bronze Star (USA).
Sixth row: Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Military Cross (UK), 1939–1945 Star (UK), France and Germany Star (UK).

Awarded the Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II with Palm, the 1940 War Cross with Palm, and the Resistance Medal, 19 June 1946;
‘Placed himself at the disposal of an intelligence and operations unit upon his return from captivity and demonstrated exceptional valour in the performance of his duties. Arrested whilst on active duty, he endured twelve months of particularly harsh captivity. As soon as he was released, he left Belgium and rejoined the Belgian forces in Great Britain.’

Citation for his US Bronze Star;

"Lieutenant-colonel Beernaerts, Belgian Army, for meritious archievement while serving with the Belgian Army, from 15 September 1944 to May 1945. After having actively participated in Belgian Resistance during the German Occupation and having been jailed by the Germans, Lieutenant-colonel Beernaerts, upon his repartriation, rendered further valuable assistance to the Allied cause in the reorganisation of the Belgian Army for operations against the enemy. Subsequently Lieutenant-colonel Beernaerts planned and rapidly executed the complete repatriation of Belgian prisoners of war. By his high professional attainments, willing cooperation and tireless devotion to duty, Lieutenant-colonel Beernaerts contributed materially to the Allied victory."

During the First World War, the general was seriously wounded. Here we can see the wound stripe on his uniform. Citation for his War Cross: ‘For his fine conduct under fire in difficult circumstances. Seriously wounded in the Battle of Halen, he returned to the front before he had fully recovered.’
Also on the uniform is the badge of a political prisoner and that of the Belgian Armed Forces in the United Kingdom.

Eight front-line stripes, four years on the front line during the First World War.

Thanks to the general's granddaughter for the original photographs for my collection.