Tournai (The Brussels Morning newspaper): Tournai, an old Belgian town, experienced a lot of destruction during the Second World War. Although it regained its freedom on September 2-3, 1944, more than sixty percent of all buildings were demolished including significant sites such as the town hall and various churches.
It has been said that Tournai was almost destroyed, the city located within Wallonia, as a result of war. This whole thing started on Friday afternoon at Antoing, which became the first area in Belgium that had been liberated. Before the liberation of Antoing on September 2nd, other nearby country towns were liberated by the Allies.
What happened during Tournai’s Liberation march?
According to resources on Saturday morning, a march for liberation started from the border village of Hertain (Tournai), put together by the Ronse Liberation Association. A few people walked the same path the British liberators took on 3rd September 1944. These walkers then went through Tournai, where a convoy was displayed in a “static show” in the town square. More than 50 military vehicles and old civilian cars brought many people to the city center. When they reached the talk space, they acted out scenes from Tournai’s Liberation to honor that important day. It has been said that following its liberation, the city was in a sad state. “60% of all the historical buildings within the city walls were destroyed,” Delannois said. In total, around 7173 homes belonging to residents of Tournai had been destroyed completely after the Second World War.
