When German Soldiers Became Belgian Veterans: A Cross-Border Mixed Economy of Veteran Welfare After the First World War

When the regions of Eupen, Sankt Vith and Malmedy switched from German to Belgian state sovereignty in the aftermath of the First World War, the local inhabitants who had served in the German army had welfare needs, demands or aspirations that could no longer be legitimated by means of war service and sacrifice for their nation-state. This article investigates how German soldiers became Belgian veterans. Challenging state-centred interpretations of how war veterans related to welfare, this article approaches these German–Belgian borderlands as a space shaped jointly by states, institutions and borderland veterans. Their interactions gave rise to a unique assemblage of Belgian public and German private welfare measures: a cross-border mixed economy of veteran welfare. The borderland veterans received higher financial benefits compensating for their disabilities from their new state than if their places of residence had remained within Germany, as Belgian state benefits were higher and German private welfare organizations sent additional benefits across the Western state border. Nevertheless, they resented that they could not attain identical financial recognition for their service as other Belgian veterans.