To the Footballers of Anderlecht

Tilting his head and wearing a laurel wreath, this little boy was chosen by sculptor Vande Capelle to commemorate the fallen footballers of Anderlecht. Of the 125 members of the club, 35 went to the front, and 15 died. Their names were carved on the monument, which was inaugurated in 1922. The statue would be destroyed in 1980 for the reconstruction of the stadium.

Brussels was a national capital, but nevertheless gave birth to a plural memory. Every district, every trade, every parish or sports club paid tribute to “their own” military or civilian victims. The autonomy of the municipalities, the different ideological currents and the social fractures weighed heavily on the way the memory of war would be preserved.