The Piron Brigade Monuments and Museums

1. Normandy

	Arromanches	Museum of Arromanches	Showcase Brigade Piron	Area dedicated to the Belgian Brigade
	Courseulles	Avenue de la Combattante	Memorial stone	Memorial stone to the Belgians volonteers

	Sallenelles	Place on the entry of the village	Memorial stone	In Memory of René DE QUEKER, Henri DUCHESNES, Edouard GERARD, Petrus HARBOORT, Julius LEYSEN and Raymond VANREMOORTELE
		Rue André-Pierre Marie	Memorial stone	Memorial stone dedicated where was killed the first Belgian : Private Edouard GERARD.
		Bunker situated on the way from Sallenelles and Franceville-Merville		Stone on the wall of the bunker of Moulin du Buisson
	Ranville	Cemetery	Left side of the cemetery	Sdt Edouard Gérard's grave
		Opposite the cemetery	Memorial stone on the door of the mill	In Memory of the Belgian fighters of the Piron Brigade
		Church Ranville	Memorial stone in the Church	In memory of Edouard Gerard, first Belgian killed in Normandy
	Franceville	Av. A. de Lavergne	Memorial stone	In Memory of Zenon BOON, François RAQUET, Guy PONCELET and Raymond DE RIDDER
	Merville	Batteries de Merville	Museum	Casemate n°4 - Area dedicated to the 6th Abn Div and the Belgian Brigade
	Le Hôme-Varaville	Place Brigade Piron	Memorial stone	Belgian Brigade's Memorial stone
	Cabourg	Le Hôme Varaville / Cabourg. Avenue des Devises		Plate in Memory of Henri Van der Plas, Marcel Massonnet en Edouard Claessens
		Monument aux Morts	Memorial stone	Stèle en reconnaissance des libérateurs de Cabourg
	Dives sur Mer	Rue General de Gaulle		Plate on the bridge crossing the river Dives between Cabourg and Dives-sur-Mer
	Houlgate	Dead Monument	Memorial stone	In Memory of François BEKAERT, Marcel BETBEZE, Hyppolite DE GROOTE, Pierre GURHEM and Lucien JADON
	Auberville	Av. Brigade Piron	Monument	Monument in honnour of the Belgian Brigade and François BEKAERT, Marcel BETBEZE, Hyppolite DE GROOTE, Pierre GURHEM, Lucien JADON and Jean-Baptiste DE BOECK
	Villers-sur-Mer	Near the Church		Monument Brigade Piron
	Blonville	Av. Brigade Piron	Memorial stone	Memorial stone to the Belgians and Luxemburgers
	Tourgeville	Cemetery		Stone Brigade Piron
	Benerville	Main Place		Stone Brigade Piron
	Saint-Arnoudt	Bridge on the Touques	Memorial stone	In Memory of Benjamin PINKOUS et Marcel FOURNER
	Deauville	Front the bridge Deauville-Trouville	Memorial stone	In Memory of Marcel FOURNER and Simon ROUCHE
		On the bridge	Memorial stone	Hommage to the Belgians and Luxemburgers soldiers
	Trouville	Square Brigade Piron	Memorial stone	Square Brigade Piron, Trouville-sur-Mer city's liberator
	Pennedepie	Cemetery	Next the Church	Private VandenAbeele's grave
	Honfleur	Quai de la Quarantaine	Memorial stone	Memorial stone in honour of Allied soldiers
	Conteville	Cemetery	New cemetery	Private Mouchet's grave
		Next the Church	Dead Monument	Memorial stone for Francis MOUCHET
		Elementary school of Conteville		On August, 25, 2014, the school was renamed "Ecole Francis Mouchet"
	Pont-Audemer	Dead Monument	Memorial stone	Memorial stone to the Liberators
		Mairie		New monument
	Pont l'Evêque
	Montivilliers (Dept 76)

2. Belgium

The National Monument "To the Glory of the Piron Brigade" is located in the "Parc des Muses" in Molenbeek-St-Jean (Brussels)

The first stone of the National Monument « To the Glory of the Piron Brigade » was raised on Saturday,  May, 9, 1964  by Mayor MACHTENS in the park “The Rose Garden” (now Parc des Muses). This Memorial was designed by the artist Paul BOEDTS, First Prize at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels.
The Monument was inaugurated in the presence of General Jean PIRON on Sunday September 6, 1964, during the commemorations of the XXth Anniversary of the Liberation of Brussels. A parade made up by military detachments (British, Dutch, Canadian, American, French and Luxembourg), followed by a company of the Belgian “Liberation Battalion”.  The Belgian Air Force Military Band and several foreign bands accompanying the troops. Scottish soldiers with kilts and pipes so the nickel parade helmets of the US troops delight the very large crowd.

It was General PIRON unveiling the Monument a simple architecture with the quotes “Normandie” and “Kanaal van Wessem”, opposed to the insignia of the Brigade. Flowers are placed by General DANLOY, representing the King, MM MACHTENS, Mayor and MOOS, President of the National Veterans of the Piron Brigade Association as well as representatives of foreign delegations.
The ceremony was enhanced by the presence of General DEROISY, representing the Ministry of Defence, the ambassadors of Israel, China Luxembourg the military attaches of Great-Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, USA, USSR, France and Czechoslovakia.
Two speeches were delivered. Mr MOOS discusses over the hours of joy of the liberation of Brussels, the end of the “endless nights of despair and humiliation”. He defines the commitment of the soldiers of the Brigade “from all over the country, they were all fond of the cult of the freedom and had sworn that they would rest when they have broken the chains of ensavlement”.
The Mayor M. MACHTENS said the signification of the Liberation, one of the best dates in our history. “I am proud that my city, after the General PIRON’s native city was the first. When on September, 3, 1944, a Sunday afternoon, I took possession of the City Hall of Molenbeek-St-Jean, accompanied by some friends, we knew the importance of this act and how we were indebted to these men coming from England, wearing the Belgian Flag on their jackets, to be able to do…"

44 years after the inauguration, on September, 4, 2008, the Monument was decorated with engraved plates with the names of 116 victims of the Brigade.

	Couvin	City Hall	Museum Jean-Baptiste PIRON	Exposition General Piron's objects
		Place Général Piron	Monument	Monument to Lt Gen PIRON and his Brigade
	Beauwelz	Place St Quirin	Canon 25 pdr	Artillery piece.
	Orbais	Opposite the Church	Canon 25 pdr	Artillery piece.
	Rongy	Rue de la Brigade Piron	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone to remember that the Piron Brigade crossed the border on Sep, 3, 1944 Bronze statue of a Piron Brigade' soldier inaugurated on the 70th anniversary
	Jumet	Rue Ledoux, 23	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone Brigade Piron
	Malines	Cathedral	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone 1940-1945 Belgian Forces in United Kingdom
	Visé	Rue de Jupille	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone for Pvt Guillaume DEBEFVE (2nd Unit)
	Saint-Nicolas	H. Heimanplein	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone to the Sint-Niklaas's veterans
	Oostende	Cemetery	Stone	In honour of the Piron Brigade's Members
	Bourg-Léopold	Antwerpsesteenweg	Memorial Stone	In Memory of Marcel BENOOT, Lucien SIMOEN, Jozef VAN OPPENS, Louis GOETZ and Carlos MARTIN, killed for the Liberation of Leopoldsburg and Heppen
			Memorial Stone	In honour of Sgt Louis GOETZ
		Barracks	Monument	Monument Belgian Forces in United Kingdom
	Bree	Bridge between Bree and Kinrooi	Memorial Stone	Brussels Bridge. Bridge built by the Engineers Company.

3. Holland

	Stramproy	Julianastraat	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone. To the Piron Brigade, liberator of Stramproy
	Hunsel	Kraakstraat, 2. Opposite the City Hall	Monument	Monument Piron Brigade
	Thorn	Kerkberg	Monument	Monument in honour of the 27 Belgians of the Piron Brigade killed for the Liberation of Thorn
	Sprang-Capelle	Fall Braun	Memorial Stone	Memorial Stone to Joseph BIESMANS, Arthur COOPMAN, Pierre HAUZEUR, Charles MARTENS, Philippe SPETH and Jean VAN GOETHEM killed in Capelle
	Leerdam	Generaal Pironstraat	Mosaïque commémorative	Ecusson de la Fédération de la Brigade Piron.
	Opheusden (Neder-Betuwe)	Burgemeester Lodderstraat	Monument	Monument in honour of the 1st Belgian Brigade

4. Luxemburg