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Leon Mollet
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 25/12/1894 |
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Place of birth: Maubray, Hainaut, Belgium |
General information
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Last known residence: Maubray, Hainaut, Belgium |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
Army information
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Country: Belgium |
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Force: Belgian Army |
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Rank: Private Second Class |
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Service number: 131/61523 |
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Units: — 9/III/1e regiment karabiniers - 9/III/1er régiment de carabiniers (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 16/10/1918 |
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Place of death: Ingelmunster, West Flanders, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Cemetery
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Cimetière communal de Maubray Plot: Unknown Row: Unknown Grave: Unknown |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Leon Mollet was born on Christmas Day 1894 in Maubray near Antoing in Hainaut. During the war, young Leon served as a conscript in the Belgian army. He held the rank of private second class and became a clarioner in the 9th company of the 3rd battalion of the 1st Regiment Karabiniers.
As a clarioner, Leon would take part in the liberation offensive that erupted on 28 September 1918. After a week of fighting, the offensive stalled before Roeselare. The men were tired, wet and poorly supplied. Weapons and equipment were dirty after a week in the field and no longer functioned properly. The fighting had taken a toll. More than a third of all carabiniers had been killed or wounded. On 14 October, after two weeks to rest and reorganise army groups, the offensive resumed with renewed vigour. The German lines near Roeselare gave way under Allied overwhelming force and the German army retreated behind the Lys.
On 16 October, the carabiniers were in Izegem along the Roeselare-Leie canal. With the help of French pontoon bridges, the canal was crossed in the early hours. The German army falling back behind the Leie offered only sporadic resistance for the time being. At Emelgem, the Germans again made their presence felt. Heavy artillery fire hampered further advance from Emelgem to Ingelmunster. Leon's battalion managed around 16:00 to cross the now-vanished railway line that ran from Ingelmunster to Tielt. On the railway line were empty tram carriages. Their twisted carcasses a symbol of the fleetingness of better times. As shrapnel and explosive grenades burst above their heads, the carabiniers managed to reach the Bruges-Ingelmunster state road. Here the attack stranded on German machine guns positioned on the other side of the road and at Zandberg. Without sufficient artillery support there was no way through. Only around 14:00 Belgian artillery was able to cross the canal, but no further advance was forthcoming. On the contrary, German fire intensified and the carabiniers dug in along the road.
Leon Mollet, aged only 23, was killed near Ingelmunster on 16 October 1918. Leon was buried in the municipal cemetery. After the war, at the request of his family, his body was transferred to his native village, where Leon still rests. His clarion, which still bears the traces of the fatal impact, is currently on display at the Passchendaele Museum.
As a clarioner, Leon would take part in the liberation offensive that erupted on 28 September 1918. After a week of fighting, the offensive stalled before Roeselare. The men were tired, wet and poorly supplied. Weapons and equipment were dirty after a week in the field and no longer functioned properly. The fighting had taken a toll. More than a third of all carabiniers had been killed or wounded. On 14 October, after two weeks to rest and reorganise army groups, the offensive resumed with renewed vigour. The German lines near Roeselare gave way under Allied overwhelming force and the German army retreated behind the Lys.
On 16 October, the carabiniers were in Izegem along the Roeselare-Leie canal. With the help of French pontoon bridges, the canal was crossed in the early hours. The German army falling back behind the Leie offered only sporadic resistance for the time being. At Emelgem, the Germans again made their presence felt. Heavy artillery fire hampered further advance from Emelgem to Ingelmunster. Leon's battalion managed around 16:00 to cross the now-vanished railway line that ran from Ingelmunster to Tielt. On the railway line were empty tram carriages. Their twisted carcasses a symbol of the fleetingness of better times. As shrapnel and explosive grenades burst above their heads, the carabiniers managed to reach the Bruges-Ingelmunster state road. Here the attack stranded on German machine guns positioned on the other side of the road and at Zandberg. Without sufficient artillery support there was no way through. Only around 14:00 Belgian artillery was able to cross the canal, but no further advance was forthcoming. On the contrary, German fire intensified and the carabiniers dug in along the road.
Leon Mollet, aged only 23, was killed near Ingelmunster on 16 October 1918. Leon was buried in the municipal cemetery. After the war, at the request of his family, his body was transferred to his native village, where Leon still rests. His clarion, which still bears the traces of the fatal impact, is currently on display at the Passchendaele Museum.
Sources 3
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Corneille Leytens J. Verspreet (red.), Kroniek van de Belgische Regimenten Karabiniers 1830-1992: Deel 2 De Karabiniers tijdens de Grote Oorlog 1914-1918 (Evere, Printing House of Defence, 2003), 174-176. Sources used |
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M. Weemaes, Van de IJzer tot Brussel: Het Bevrijdingsoffensief van het Belgische Leger 28 september 1918 (Marcinelle, Maison d'Edition, 1972) pg. 237-250 Sources used |
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T. Simoens, “Het Bevrijdingsoffensief. Het Belgische leger bewijst zijn gevechtswaarde (September-November 1918);” In: L. De Vos (ed.). 14-18 Oorlog in België (Leuven, Davidsfonds, 2014) p. 473 Sources used |
More information 2
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Belgian War Dead Register https://www.wardeadregister.be/nl/dead-person?idPersonne=30640 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5A7B9416-F3B7-11D4-AAFC-A28119911049 |