On 2 May 1922 the National Veterans' Association, Diegem branch, petitioned the municipality to erect a memorial to 13 fallen soldiers.
Historical overview
The commission was entrusted to Juul Reynaert (Handzame 1884 – Evere 1959), who also designed war memorials for the West Flemish municipalities of Zarren, Staden and Westrozebeke. The memorial was solemnly inaugurated on 12 August 1923.
The memorial
The Van Wayenberg family sold the municipality the land at the corner of the Van der Aastraat and the Corneel De Ceusterstraat for 15,000 francs. The memorial in white French stone cost 50,000 francs. It is a pyramid-shaped column topped by two gilded wings, a symbol of pure ideals, and a girl holding a wreath. The sides show sunbeams on a grave by the Yser and the old arms of Diegem; the names of the fallen are on the back. At the unveiling on 12 August 1923, 45 groups took part in the procession. Every year a procession went to the memorial, on All Saints' Day before the merger and on 11 November afterwards.