Armand De Ceuninck
| Armand de Ceuninck | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
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| Minister of War of Belgium | |
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In office 4 August 1917 – 22 November 1918 |
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| Monarch | Albert I |
| Preceded by | Charles de Broqueville |
| Succeeded by | Fulgence Masson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 May 1858 Mechelen, Belgium |
| Died | 12 April 1935 (aged 76) Brussels, Belgium |
Armand Léopold Théodore, Baron de Ceuninck (27 May 1858 in Mechelen –12 April 1935 in Brussels) was the Minister of War of Belgium, serving in the last year of World War I.
He entered the army in 1871, became an artillery sergeant in 1874, then entered the artillery and engineering section of the Royal Military College. A sub-lieutenant of artillery in 1880, he was named General-staff adjutant (adjoint d'état-major) and, in 1893, passed out as captain in the cadre spécial d'état-major.
At the outbreak of World War I he was staff colonel and head of the staff section of the army. In this position he assumed the heavy yet delicate task imposed by mobilisation and the putting of the army on a war footing.
Promoted to major-general on 6 September 1914, he was placed at the head of the 18th Mixed Brigade (Grenadiers), of which he took command on 9 September at the moment when the unit was conducting operations around Antwerp. He took an active part in operations, and confirmed himself as an energetic and resolute leader, notably at Wackerzeel. His brigade then occupied for a fortnight the sector from Lier Fort to Koningshooikt Fort, then was transferred to the Liezele Fort - Puurs Redoubt sector when the Germans begun their attack on Antwerp.
When the epic retreat to the Yser River was ordered, Major-General de Ceuninck and his troops were encharged with covering the flanks of the divisions retreating westwards. Following the general movement of the army, he moved his brigade to Dixmude, then, after a short rest, he was directed to the region of Lizerne, to organise defensive positions on the Yser Canal.
During the Battle of the Yser, the two regiments of grenadiers and the artillery of de Ceuninck's brigade were engaged in the most murderous actions. After the Allied victory in this battle, de Ceuninck was encharged with occupying the Oostkerke sector, where he had under his command a half-battalion of French Fusiliers Marins. On 4 December 1914 he retook the sector at Diksmuide.
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