Auguste Gilliaert
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2021) |
Auguste Gilliaert | |
|---|---|
 Auguste Gilliaert (second from right) with Force Publique personnel in Italian East Africa, 1941 | |
| Born | 7 March 1894 Sint-Pieters-op-den-Dijk(Bruges),Belgium |
| Died | 10 May 1973(aged 79) Belgium |
| Allegiance |  Belgium Belgian Congo |
| Service/ | Belgian Army(1910–16; 1919–37; 1954–55) Force Publique(1916–19; 1937–54) |
| Years of service | 1910–55 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands held | Force Publique |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert(7 March 1894 – 10 May 1973) was aBelgiancolonial lieutenant general who served in both world wars, and a commander of theForce Publiquein theBelgian Congo.
Career
[edit]Early life and World War I
[edit]After joining the Belgian Army in 1910, Gilliaert received an officer's commission in July 1914. With the outbreak ofWorld War I,he fought inbattles along the Yser River,near Ostende. In 1916, he volunteered for service in Central Africa, in what was then theBelgian Congo,and took part as a captain in theEast Africa Campaignfighting inGerman East Africa.Gilliaert returned to Belgium in 1919, commanding units at home and in occupied Germany.
World War II
[edit]ByWorld War II,Major-General Gilliaert was the commander of the "Belgian Expeditionary Forces" inEast Africaduring theEast African Campaign of World War II.The Belgian Expeditionary Force was aFree Belgiancolonial unit composed of troops from the Belgian Congo. In July 1941, Gilliaertcut offthe retreat of Italian GeneralPietro GazzerainEthiopiaand accepted the surrender of Gazzera's 7,000 troops.[1]
After the successful conclusion of the campaign in East Africa, a part of the Force Publique was re-designated the 1st Belgian Congo Brigade Group and served in a garrison and rear-area security role inCairo,Egyptand inBritish Palestinefrom 1943 to 1944.[2]Gilliaert commanded the road march of the 2,000 man brigade on a journey of some 7,000 kilometers fromLagosto Cairo without losing a single man.[3]Gilliaert was made commander of the Force Publique in July 1944 and promoted to lieutenant-general in October 1951.
Gilliaert returned to Belgium in March 1954 and retired on 1 April 1955.
Command history
[edit]- General Officer Commanding, Belgian Expeditionary ForcesEast Africa– 1941
- Commander of the Force Publique – 1944
Awards
[edit]- Commander of the Order of the African Star with Palm
- Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire
References
[edit]- ^Forgotten Allies,Vol. 1, p. 44.
- ^Foreign Volunteers of the Allied Forces, 1939–45, p. 17
- ^deplate.be
External links
[edit]- deplate.be
- Biography of Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert(in French)
- Archive Auguste Gilliaert,Royal museum for central Africa