Featured Belgian war hero Gaston Léger, would like to know more.

Gaston Léger was my grandmother's first cousin. Growing up I heard about him, and after my grandmother died I found this prayer card in her prayer book.

He had quite a life, and it would be sad if he was forgotten.
Born february 25 1894 in Goch, Germany, and died march 8 1955 in st Denijs-Westrem in Belgium. The Légers were originally from Normandy, France, but many of them ended up in different parts of northwestern Europe, and in Canada.
He was injured during WW I, and a political prisoner during WW II. He received numerous orders and titles, more than are mentioned on the prayer card.





I have been searching Belgian registers, but can't find him anywhere. None of the Belgian Légers for that matter. There were more, mostly in Brussels. I asked my uncle about them a couple of years ago, all he could say was that they all had paintings by Fernand Léger, famous French cousin of my grandmother and of the Belgian branch.
Any information will help, as I don't know more than is on the card. Maybe @kristiaan can find out more?

I would also like to know what the 'Ordre du Dévouement Social Français' is, a French order to do with humanitarian work? Volunteer work? Civic courage? What could a Belgian citizen have done to receive it?

Thank you for looking.

 

Thanks Davey. Very interesting, a different Gaston, but he could be related. I can see a resemblance with some of the other Légers.
'My' Gaston could have been a member of a resistance movement, which was probably why he was a political prisoner. Resistance during WW II was certainly a family thing, on all sides of the family.
And Gaston would have done a 'disinterested and dedicated service' in France. Maybe for the Red Cross or something.

 

did you manage to find his grave?

 

Got your message!
Just home from a long journey, I'll answer later on today.
I think I have got that French medal in my collection.

 

No, he is not registered as being buried in St Denijs-Westrem or anywhere in the vicinity. His grave could have been cleared, or maybe he didn't live in St Denijs-Westrem, and was just visiting. He is not registered in Brussels, where most of the Belgian Légers lived, either.

 

AJ, I LOVE that you have that family history on that prayer card!!!!! SO nice to have to treasure!!!

 

Yes, it is. And I feel I have a responsibility to make sure that he is registered somewhere, anywhere, as someone who tried to make a difference in this world. He didn't have any children or grandchildren to do that.

 

I would check with the In Flanders Field Museum in Ypres. They have so much information on WWI and they are really helpful. I had a contact there and I know his first name was Wouter, but can't recall his last name. Do contact them.

 

Along these lines,I just recently sat down with mother and wrote out who was who on the backs of old pictures we have. Some even she couldnt remember,my grandma would have but we didnt think to do this when she was around.Unfortunately,no young ones seems to be into family history anymore so I fear they will end up in a garbage can when I kick the bucket.

 

Thanks Bev.

 

Hey Any,
sorry but yesterday was quiet heavy...
I asked about your ancestor on a different forum and waiting for info, I couldn't find much, except what was all ready been given here.
I got pictures of the guy's medals (and one insignia!) mentioned on death image (not sure it is the right translation for "doodsprentje"... ) in the order as mentioned on the image.
Much more can be said about the medals, but best would be to do that separately.
The French medal will come up later, this are all Belgian medals.

Your family originates from quiet many different regions

 

That is wonderful, Kristiaan. I have now made a Gaston Léger file and added these. We call 'doodsprentje' 'bidprentje', the same thing, a person is dead (dood) and as a result you pray (bidden) for them. Prayer card in English, I think.

Would love to know more.
I found something on the palms and lions, commendations from different ranks, if I understand correctly. For bravery?
And I know there are registers of people who have received the orders. I found two a couple of years ago, but no mention of Gaston Léger.

Tell me about it. If I remember correctly, 16 nationalities and still counting. That is just my ancestors, just about everyone in my generation and the next is married to someone from a different nationality. Family gatherings are never boring, but pretty hard to organize.

 

Hope things are better today.
I am happy with your input at any time, please don't feel pressured.

 

The palms and lions indeed are citations and recommendations, on that particular medal.
The last medal could come with bars on, and those bars stand for the time of imprisonment.
And the swords on the two first medals means that they where given for his military services, and not civil services.
Given the fact of the medals he received I am puzzled why there is no mention of "frontstrepen", honor bars that where given for the time spend on the front.
Or he got his injuries quiet early in the war and didn't went back or he served far behind the front, but the palms and lions on his war merit cross tell something different. It would be good to know in which branch he served.

 

No pressure at all!
Things are much easier today! Thanks.

 

Could be that it was all too much to mention on a small prayer card. Or maybe he did fantastic things in a short period of time, and got injured doing one of those fantastic things. He certainly wasn't one for hanging around and waiting for life to pass him by, going by the fact that he was a political prisoner and got the French Ordre du Dévouement Social.

It would. I haven't been able to find anything.

 

This is very interesting... and I'm amazed that you haven't been able to find even some good clues online. I did a little looking, but when I saw that many people had that name, and I don't speak the language, I gave up.

 

I find a lot of Légers, mostly in Canada, but no Gaston Léger. An extra complication here is that the Dutch word 'leger' means army. So if I google Gaston Léger and military, WW I, WW II, etc, I get everything about the army, military supplies, etc, but no Gaston Léger.

 

I found somebody named Gaston Léger who died in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada just a few years ago. ... I also found references to the U.S. census for people with that name, and one in France. But those who had dates listed did not match up with the 1894-1955 birth and death dates of your relative.