Antoine-Adolphe Fonck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 January 1893 Verviers, Liège Province, Belgium |
| Died | 4 August 1914 (aged 21) Thimister-Clermont, Liège Province, Belgium |
| Buried | Thimister-Clermont Communal Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  Belgium |
| Branch |  Belgian Land Component |
| Years of service | 1911–1914 |
| Unit | 2nd Lancer Regiment |
| Known for | First Belgian soldier to be killed in World War I |
| Battles/wars | World War I † |
Antoine-Adolphe Fonck (10 January 1893 – 4 August 1914) was a Belgian soldier of World War I. He was known as the first Belgian soldier to be killed in the war.
Fonck was born on 10 January 1893 in Verviers, Belgium,[1] into a family of modest income.[2] He lost both of his parents in childhood and was raised by his grandmother. He later worked as a shopkeeper at the Grand Bazaar of Liège.[2]
In 1911 he enlisted as a volunteer in the Belgian army, joining the 2nd Lancer Regiment. Following the outbreak of World War I, on 4 August 1914, at 10:30 am, he was killed during a reconnaissance mission to the "La Croix-Polinard" hamlet in Thimister-Clermont.[1]
Fonck was buried at the Thimister-Clermont Communal Cemetery on 16 August 1914.[1] A monument was later erected at the spot where he died.[3]
