Graves in the woods

We have been orienteering in the Forest D'Anlier , the largest forest in Belgium. What we were not expecting was to see so many graves and memorials to people who have died in the forest; usually WWII pilots who had been shot down, many were aged just 19 or 20.


This stone is a memorial to Camille Jetatzy a car manufacturer and Belgian racing driver. He was born in 1868 and died in 1913 in a hunting accident in the forest.  He went behind a bush and made animal noises as a prank on his friends who were hunting with him. It worked too well, his friends fired, believing it was a wild animal. When they realised it was Jenatzy, they rushed him to hospital by car; he bled to death en route, fulfilling his own prophecy he would die in a Mercedes.

He built his first car, electric in 1897 and is best known for being the first driver to exceed 100km/h which he did in 1902.  His cars were shaped like shells.  This memorial marks the spot where he died.    My camera has struggled with the lack of light so it’s not a great photo but a reminder of the many memorials we saw during the weekend.