Velghe/Rochet, Tongeren, Limburg, Belgium
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TeamYakara
N 50° 46.826 E 005° 27.863
31U E 673728 N 5628304
Tongeren aan zijne kinderen,
Lt E.S. Rochet +25/12/1895 Kilongalonga
Lt A.H. Velghe +24/07/1895 Avakubi
Gevallen in Congo ten dienste van de beschaving
Waymark Code: WMZ2NA
Location: Limburg, Belgium
Date Posted: 09/01/2018
Views: 0
Emile Rochet et Alexandre Velghe died ignominious deaths in Africa and were memorialized later for service in their native town of Tongeren. Rochet entered into the militery service of the EIC (Etat Independante Congo) in august 1894, just more than a year later (dec 1895) Rochet died in Kilonga Longa of hematura, apparently having done nothing remarcable during the period of service leading up to his premature death.
Velghe's end was even more gloomy. He had left the army to join the EIC in 1893. By 1894 he was commanding officer at the post of Bomokandi. Velghe made the mistake of arming fifty Africans under his command, not knowing that they had heard they soon would be impressed into service as manual laborers under another command. Because they were too far from their homes to flee they took over the post, and velghe absconed. He became sick, recovered at the EIC capital of Boma and in late 1894 he joined Rochet to fight in the antislavery campaign in Ituri. Yet this opportunity to regain some prestige slipped away, for he died of disentery in the forrest in july 1895.
Source:
Selling the Congo, book by Matthew G Stanard
Location: City Hall
Website with more information on either the memorial or the person(s) it is dedicated to: Not listed
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