1914 : Going to war

The Shadow of the Franc-tireurs

On 18 August 1914, the mayor of Ixelles ordered his citizens to turn over their firearms. They were to be handed in at the nearest police station. This collation work would be interrupted by the arrival of the German troops the following days. Dreading a misinterpretation of what this heap of guns and rifles meant, the municipal employees threw the weapons into the Ixelles ponds. A few weeks later, they were fished out again by the Hussars of the Reich, who pose here with their booty.