“Who was Guillaume Dekelver?” I wonder. This street bears his name. Rue Guillaume Dekelver honors a man from Auderghem.
Let’s uncover his story. Rue Guillaume Dekelver spans 190 meters. It connects Avenue Louis Clesse to Rue Maurice Charlent. Houses on one side are numbered 1 to 61. The other side goes from 2 to 58.
Guillaume Dekelver was born in Ixelles in 1864. He married a widow in 1898. They had five children together. He worked as a carter.
At the start of World War I, the army wanted his horse. He refused to give up his livelihood. So, Guillaume Dekelver joined the front lines. He was 50 years old. He became a militarized carter.
Sadly, Guillaume Dekelver died in 1915. He succumbed to his wounds. It happened at the military hospital in Hoogstade. His remains were solemnly buried in the communal cemetery.
The street’s location was once called Roodenbergveld. The Silico-Calcareous Brickworks of Auderghem operated there. It is likely that house number 51’s bricks came from there. That house received the first building permit.
Initially, the council wanted to name the street after Thomas Balis. But his parents asked them to reconsider. His body had not been found. The council then proposed Rue Guillaume Dekelver.
Auderghem mourned 49 soldiers from the Great War. They honored Guillaume Dekelver. His remains returned to the town in 1921.
Today, Rue Guillaume Dekelver is served by the Delta metro station. It’s a reminder of a local hero’s sacrifice. The street connects us to Auderghem’s past. It reminds us of the human cost of war.