‘Our gratitude is infinite.’ Belgian town remembers Roanoke soldier slain in World War II

On Sept. 6, 1944, American soldiers liberated the small Belgian town of Jauche, not far from the French border. A 21-year-old soldier from Roanoke stood guard until it could be determined whether the town was truly safe. It was not. A group of German soldiers rode into the town, not realizing it was now in the hands of American troops and the Belgian partisans who had aided them. That 21-year-old soldier from Roanoke was shot, and then, as he lay injured, a German soldier stabbed him to death.

The Germans were chased out, and the war moved on. In Jauche, though, townspeople rushed out of hiding and covered the body of the slain American soldier with flowers and Belgian flags, their way of honoring their liberators.

His name was Ralph Nimmo, and to this day, the town of Jauche honors his memory with an annual ceremony. Last year, on the 80th anniversary of Nimmo’s death, and the town’s liberation, Cardinal ran two stories about the ceremony — this column in advance and this coverage of the event by a freelance journalist in Belgium.

This year, Jauche held the ceremony again, and the organizers shared these photos. Lucette Sente said by email:

“It is important for us to pay tribute to this young man of 21 years. By crossing the ocean, to liberate a continent that was not theirs, Ralph and all the soldiers of the United States Armed Forces entered into legend. The star-spangled banner brought us freedom, democracy, and peace. Our gratitude is infinite.

“Raoul Lézy, a 90-year-old war orphan, whose father was killed in 1940 while defending our homeland from the German invader, insists on coming every year for this duty of remembrance. And Roger Motoulle, 98 years old, last survivor of the resistance fighters of the VILNA Group who fought with Ralph and his friends to liberate our village, was also present.”