Resistance Fighters in Bonsin
Armée Secrète (Eng. The Secret Army) operated across occupied Belgium during World War II, and one of the lesser-known local centers of activity was in and around Bonsin.
Bonsin, a small rural village in the Ardennes region of Belgium, provided ideal terrain for clandestine resistance work: wooded hills, isolated farms, and limited German patrol presence. Members of the Armée Secrète in this area were involved in hiding Allied airmen, collecting intelligence on German movements, and supporting escape lines that helped downed pilots reach safety. As Allied preparations increased before the liberation of Belgium in 1944, resistance networks in villages like Bonsin also assisted with sabotage operations against railways and communication lines. These actions helped disrupt German troop movements during the final stages of the occupation.
Alphonse Laffut and Plaine Sapin
The Plaine-Sapin is a farmers field in the commune Bonsin where soldiers and war materiel were parachuted in to support the Resistance between April and September 1944. A monument to the Secret Army stands there, and a commemoration is held annually at the beginning of September. Alphonse Laffut, a resident of Bonain, assembled a team that coordinated the collection of equipment from the ground. The site is adjacent to the street named in honor of Sir Hugh Fraser of Lovat, a member of the British Special Forces.
British officers and intelligence services cooperated with the Belgian resistance by supplying weapons, training, radios, and operational support. These connections became especially important before and after the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944, when resistance groups disrupted German transport and communications. The Secret Army played a major role during the liberation of Belgium by assisting advancing Allied troops and protecting key locations. Today, it is remembered as an important symbol of Belgian resistance and courage during the war.
Sir Hugh Fraser of Lovat – Special Air Service – SAS
Hugh Fraser was connected to resistance and intelligence activities linked to Belgium during World War II. He served with British special operations and worked alongside Allied networks supporting resistance movements in occupied Europe. The “Secret Army” in Belgium referred to the Armée Secrète, one of the largest Belgian resistance groups during the war. The organization carried out sabotage, gathered intelligence, helped downed Allied airmen escape, and prepared for the liberation of Belgium. Members secretly resisted German occupation despite the constant threat of arrest or execution.
During the War Hugh was captain and active in Southern Holland and Belgium. He parachuted near Somme-Leuze in the Ardennes on 1 Sept 1944 and acted as liaison officer between the SAS headquarter and the commander of the Belgian Armee Secrete. The secret army was in dire need of weapons and with Capt Fraser’s effort some 2000 arms were dropped within three weeks at the Plaine Sapin. He organised a supply of local guides and intelligence towards advancing U.S. forces. He was in charge of an I.S. 9 Field Section in the Canadian Army sector in Holland arranging the exfiltration of allied evaders collected by Lt Kirschen a Belgian SAS Regt operation Fabian in the Veluwe area (a a forest-rich ridge of hills in the Netherlands).
Sir Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser was awarded the 1940 Belgian Croix de Guerre with palm.
Hugh Fraser was the younger brother of Simon Fraser, a prominent Scottish aristocrat and commander in World War II. Simon Fraser, the 15th Lord Lovat, created a new unorthodox group of shock fighters, the Commandos, during World War Two with permission of Winston Churchill. He is best known as the commander of No. 4 Commando during the Normandy landings in 1944, where his unit fought alongside British Commandos at D-Day. He gained a reputation for leading his men in combat while wearing a white sweater, becoming one of the most recognizable commando leaders of the war. Their cousins were Bill and David Stirling, David would create the Special Air Service branch better known as the SAS during the war with their all-encompassing motto; “Who dares wins”.
Visit
The Secret Army War memorial was erected as early as 1946, just after the Second World War. It can be visited 24 hours a day, there is a small spot to park your bike or car and a little picnic table to enjoy the view (2025).
