State Archives of Belgium

Our collective memory!

FR | NL | DE | EN
Menu

First World War archives conserved at the State Archives

Texte petit  Texte normal  Texte grand

National Archives

The so-called war archives containing records and documents about the First World War as from 1919, was transferred to the National Archives that now possesses a major archive series about WWI composed of the following main holdings:

  • Archives of the Enquiry Commission on breaches of international law.
  • Archives of the Commission of the Annals of the Patriotic Service, including an overview of all resistance organisations.
  • Archives of the Council of Flanders.
  • Archives of the National Relief and Food Committee.
  • A series of war reports and documents by private individuals.
  • The Central Register of War Refugees containing information about refugees from Belgium and the United Kingdom.
  • Archives of the office for devastated areas, including an alphabetical overview of the reconstruction efforts undertaken during the postwar period in the 242 municipalities.
  • Archives of the Belgian Red Cross, with alphabetical index cards about wounded soldiers and war prisoners.
  • Archives of the Belgian Central Office for War Prisoners, with an overview (per municipality) of the civilians shot by German troops
  • Archives of the War Ministry at Le Havre (Sainte-Adresse) (1914-1919).
  • Archives of the War Ministry: fallen soldiers (1914-1920).
  • Archives of the Belgian Military Intelligence. Investigations Office (1914-1919).
  • Archives of the Belgian Delegation of the Sub-Committee for Finance of the International Armistice Commission at Spa (1918-1919).
  • War files collection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1913-1932).
  • Archives and documents of the Belgian consulates to France: Calais, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Menton, Moulins (1914-1922).
  • Archives and documents of the Belgian consulate to the Netherlands: Dordrecht, Flessingue, Maastricht, Roosendaal, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Zwolle (1914-1921).
  • Archives of the Belgian general consulate to the United Kingdom (1918-1919).
  • Archives of the housing service of the Belgian delegation in Bern (1916-1919).

Archives of the Royal Palace

  • Cabinet archives of King Albert I (1909-1934).
  • Archives of the des Secretariat of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth (1914-1924).
  • Archives of the Secretariat of Queen Elisabeth (1900-1965).
  • Archives of the Grand Marshall of the Royal Court Departement (King Albert I) (1909-1914 and 1918-1934).
  • Archives of the Private Secretary of King Albert I (1909-1965).
  • Archives of the Private Secretary of Queen Elisabeth (1909-1965).

State Archives in Arlon

  • Fonds Balbeur (1,300 Photos of Léglise, ca. 1910-1920) (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Fonds Sylvain Noël (350 Photos of Neufchâteau, Marbais, Namoussart, 1920s) (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Fonds Tjienke Dagnelie (Photos of Bertrix in the years 1900-1920, taken by photograph Louis Lenzen, incuding a war pictures album) (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Fonds of the Arlon-Virton Section of the National Aid Committee for disabled ex‑servicemen (Camp Holzminden in 1917, liberation of Arlon in 1918) (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Archives of the Arlon local section of the National Relief Service (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Archives of the war reparations court for the Arlon district (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Archives of the war reparations court for the Neufchâteau district (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Archives of the war damages court of Marche-en-Famenne (1919-1926).
  • District chef of Arlon, civil commissioner, back area headquarters of Arlon (single documents) (unpublished finding aid, available at the reading rooms).
  • Archives of the Governor cabinet.
  • Archives of the provincial government of Luxemburg, municipal buildings series (unpublished finding aid AEA 052: inventory of the archives of the provincial administration of Luxembourg. Municipal buildings series (1825-1988) / Tamara Bister, Vincent Pirlot and Christophe Piron).
  • Archives of the provincial government of Luxemburg, public local transport series (published finding aid AEA 030/2: inventory of the archives of the provincial administration of Luxembourg. Series: local transport (1874 - 1961) / C. Van Leeuw).
  • Archives of the court of Assizes of Luxemburg, case series about the First World War (no finding aid).
  • Archives of the Court of First Instance of Arlon (no finding aid).
  • Archives of the Court of First Instance of Neufchâteau (published finding aid AEA 061/1 to 4: PIRLOT Vincent: Inventaire des archives du tribunal de première instance de Neufchâteau (Généralités, tribunal civil, tribunal correctionnel et tribunal des enfants) (1796) 1800-1973).
  • Public Prosecutor’s Office Arlon (no finding aid).
  • Public Prosecutor’s Office Neufchâteau (finding aid AEA 055: PIRLOT Vincent: Inventaire des archives du parquet près le tribunal de première instance de Neufchâteau (1796) 1800-1987, 2007).
  • Municipal archives : Dochamps, Halma, Hives, Humain, Limerlé, On, Rendeux, Waha, etc.
  • Archives of the Forest and Water Agency (unpublished and published finding aids).
  • Archives of Paul Reuter (no finding aid).
  • Archives of the Poncelet family (unpublished finding aid AEA 040: HANNICK Pierre, Inventaire des archives de la famille Poncelet, 1978).
  • Archives of the Jeanty family (no finding aid).
  • Archives of Charles Gaspar (no finding aid).
  • Archives of Hollenfeltz family (no finding aid).
  • Parish archives (published finding aids and unpublished additions).
  • Poster collection of the First World War (no finding aid).
  • Press: Les Nouvelles.
  • Archives of the food aid committee of the province of Luxemburg (1914-1919) (currently being inventoried).
  • Archives of the foundry Causard-Slegers in Tellin (production of bells replacing those destroyed during the war).
  • Fonds Josée Lambin (1914-1968), nurse at the ambulance of Saint-Hubert.
  • Archives of church councils: Liber status annimarum of the church council of Fronville, etc.

State Archives in Eupen

State Archives in Liège

  • Archives of the Belgian War Prisoners and Internees Office – Liège Office (currently being inventoried).
  • Archives of the Joint Committee of Patriotic Associations of Liège province.
  • Archives of the Food and Relief Committee of Liège province.
  • Archives of the Inter-Municipal Provision Agency of Liège province.
  • Archives of the Cabinet of the Governor of Liège province: National Recognition (First World War, 1916-1922 (17 Art.).
  • Municipal archives: Baelen, Bas-Oha, Gohé, La Reid, Limbourg, Neuville-sous-Huy, Olne, Ombret-Rausa, Tihange, Ville-en-Hesbaye, Vaux-et-Borset, Welkenraedt.
  • Archives of Société Cockerill Sambre (Arcelor Group), company headquarters in Seraing.
  • Archives of Verreries nouvelles d’Aigremont.
  • Archives of Société anonyme métallurgique d’Espérance-Longdoz.
  • Archives of the German companies seized after the 1914-1918 war.
  • Archives of the prison in Verviers.
  • Archives of the prison in Saint-Léonard.
  • Archives of the prison in Huy.

State Archives in Louvain-la-Neuve

  • Archives of the prison in Nivelles (detainees files and registers 1914–1918).
  • Archives of the Court for War Reparations in Nivelles (1919-1925).
  • Archives of the Court of First Instance in Nivelles. Parquet du procureur du Roi.
  • Archives of the Aid and Relief Committee Walloon Brabant.
  • Archives of the municipalities in Walloon Brabant: minutes of the aldermen council and the municipal council, documents about the militia, public works, charity work, etc.
  • Archives of the Public Social Welfare Centres in Walloon Brabant.
  • Archives of the notaries public in Walloon Brabant.
  • Archives of the mortgage, registration and domains office.
  • Archives of the trade register.
  • Archives of the Justice of the Peace Court.
  • Archives of the Police Court.

State Archives in Mons

State Archives in Namur

  • Archives of the provincial and municipal authorities of Namur: Archives about war damages, refugees lists, provisioning.
  • Archives of the courts and tribunals: court case files of the court of assizes about collaboration, support for the enemy – supplies, soldiers, munitions, correctional court files, etc.
  • Archives of Jean Schmitz, cleric and historian (1911-1932).
  • Collection of war documents 1914-1918.
  • Archives about war damages in Namur and Dinant.

State Archives in Antwerp-Beveren

  • Archives of the province of Antwerp. First World War Collection
  • Archives of the Court of First Instance of Antwerp (State Archives in Antwerpen C activists)
  • Archives of the war tribunals of Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout
  • Archives of the National Aid and Relief Committee of the province of Antwerp.
  • Archives of the forced administration (Crown Prosecution Office in Antwerp, Ministry of finance and business archives).
  • Archives of the prisons of Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout
  • Archives of the Provinciaal Raadplegingsbureel voor Teringlijders, section Berchem
  • Archives of the Vereniging Volksopbeuring, section Mechelen
  • Archives of the Royal Atheneum of Antwerpen
  • Local archives creators: The State Archives in Antwerp conserves a number of municipal archives mostly from the late modern period until 1914 at the latest. Documents about the First World War are also conserved in Aartselaar, Beerse, Boom, Bouwel, Dessel,  Itegem, Kessel, Niel, Noorderwijk, Olen, Vorselaar, Vosselaar, Vremde, Wechelderzande and Weert.

State Archives in Bruges

  • Collection of text posters of Bruges, 1914-1919.
  • Judgement registry of the war damages courts of Bruges,Ypres and Veurne.

State Archives in Kortrijk

  • State Archives of the war damages court in Kortrijk (1919-1927), inlcuding sentence records and files about lodging of appeals with regard to compensations in the former jurisdiction of Kortrijk (material compensations and compensations for civil victims).
  • Municipal archives: public notices of the German authorities and documents about compulsory military service, food shortage and refugees.
  • Parish archives: Summary reports (liber memorialis), in which the parish priest meticulously recorded all events that occurred in his parish during the First World War.
  • Archive of Descantons de Montblanc family: Notes and personal documents about the First World War.

State Archives in Gent

  • Archives of the municipalities in East Flanders, including archives and documents of the German authorities about the occupation: Appels, Appelterre-Eichem, Baardegem, Bottelare, Burst, Deinze, Deurle, Elene, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Godveerdegem, Grotenberge, Hansbeke, Hillegem, Knesselare, Lochristi, Lokeren, Maldegem, Massemen, Meldert, Melsele, Moerbeke-Waas, Munte, Nederhasselt, Ninove, Ressegem, Ronsele, Sint-Blasius-Boekel, Sint-Gillis-Waas, Sint-Jan-in-Eremo, Sint-Margriete, Sint-Pauwels, Sleidinge, Vosselare, Zeveren und Zonnegem.

    The following archive holdings are conserved over to the State Archives in Gent since 2015.
  • Archives of the Aid and Relief Committee of the province of East Flanders.
  • Archives of the Aid and Relief Committee of the City of Gent.
  • Archives of the war damages tribunal in Gent and the war damages courts in Gent, Dendermonde and Oudenaarde.
  • Archives of the prisons of Gent, Oudenaarde and Dendermonde.
  • Archives of the court of assizes of East Flanders (activism).
  • Archives of the  correctional courts of Gent, Oudenaarde and Dendermonde (activism).
  • Archives of the Crown Prosecution Office in Dendermonde (investigations about war crimes).
  • Archives about the Crown Prosecution Office in Oudenaarde (war damages, forced administration).
  • Archives of the military court and the military tribunal in Gent (East Flanders and West Flanders).
  • Archives of local archive creators from the jurisdictions Dendermonde and Oudenaarde.

State Archives in Hasselt

  • Poster collection 1914-1918.
  • Senctence registry of the war damages tribunals in Hasselt und Tongeren.
  • Registry of the minutes from municipal council meetings of different municipalities in Limburg (see sources guide Limburg, 1914-1918).
  • Archives of the National Aid and Relief Committee, section Beringen.

www.belspo.be www.belgium.be e-Procurement