Farewell, Captain Commandant van de Walle.
This is a translated letter of the executed prisoner of war Arnould Captain-Commandant van de Walle (NN-Prisoner 472) from Belgium to his wife and children. He wrote this letter in the Brunswick jail on 16 June 1944 at 2.00 pm on the same day as he was executed at 4.58 pm. |
Brunswick, the 16th of June 1944
My poor dear little Yolande, mother, father, all my beloved friends, all of you who have stood close to me during my imprisonment and exile.
I beg your pardon for causing pain to you a further time. I will be executed in two hours. A terrible fault, in reality a ridiculous error, what appeared in the eyes of the judges as crime what must be punished with a death penalty. But why should I still talk about it. It's too late. I blame nobody for it; maybe some accusations would also hit me.
The catholic chaplain of Wolfenbüttel stood at my side during the last three months of my imprisonment and the Brunswick chaplain at my last hours. I imagine the afterlife as a huge blessedness now. I have the absolute certainty of the goodness of God and that the death would mean joy for me because I took leave from the promises of luck of this world on which I don't want to think anymore. But the thought that you will suffer is a burden for me and makes me very sad.
The only possibility I have is to pray to God and to ask him to console you and to make you strong: Don't lose your courage my beloved little wife. Console my mother and father who love me deeply. The children are old enough to understand what the loss of their father means. I would like to know how my little Christine is. I have seen all the inconveniences, pains and grief since the beginning of my imprisonment as sacrifice for her healing. This should also be a comfort for you. I didn't suffer a lot. I had a good friend: William Leroy. I was 8 months together with him at a place at which he is no more.
Claude will become again the head of the little family. Cyrille shall give him a souvenir of me which I left in the corridor of Martine's room. Martine the cuddly little thing. The funny Michel who I unjustly reprehended so many times and my little Etienne: the strong little guy, from whom I expected so many things. Hug heartily your parents for me, my sister, my brothers but also my goddaughter, my aunts, my uncle and also my friends.
I will watch you from above. I have no time to talk with you about material things. I left not much. The government will pay liquidated damages for heavy losses. Applications are sent to the department but I can't bring it to an end.
They push me to finish. Good bye my love, my beloved. Cry but be comforted in the thought that I am happy. And I will watch you from above. Say to yourself that I won't tremble when I die. I will die as it is done from a Belgium officer. I forgive my enemies.
Have courage . . . see you in the eternity.
Arnould |
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The letter was never sent to the family in Belgium. It disappeared in several black channels and was found in the archive of a ministry of the former GDR after the reunification in 1991. The letter was taken over to the family.
The catholic chaplain of Wolfenbüttel, Mr. Unverhau, sent a four pages long letter to the family after the war and informed them about the fate of Captain Commandant van de Walle. The Brunswick chaplain Mr. Huber wrote in his letter to the family: "He died as man, as officer and christian in his heart and alive in his love."
The farewell letter can be read in the original language (French) on this page. |
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