Last words shed new light on the lives and deaths of the ‘ordinary people’ who stood up to Nazi regimeChristel Van Iseghem was sitting in a radio studio when she heard the last words of her great uncle Norbert, murdered by the Nazis for his role in the Belgian resistance.“My heart stood still,” said the 71-year-old from Kallo in Flanders. “This was something I didn’t know existed. I sat there shaking, my hands trembling It means so much to me. He will not be forgotten.” Continue reading...
Farewell letters from 34 executed Belgian resistance fighters have been found 80 years after their deaths. These letters, including one from 19-year-old Norbert Vanbeveren, are part of a larger archive being compiled by the "Last Words" project. Advocates are calling for a reappraisal of the resistance, which they believe was overshadowed by focus on collaboration after the war. They hope these stories will help foster a more nuanced understanding of wartime Belgium.
