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A Belgian Flag for V-E Day

Thu, 05/01/2025 - 12:49
John LaGrappe Dominicus, at right, was a member of the Belgian Resistance during World War II. His granddaughter, Dominique Cummings, is the East Hampton Village treasurer. Her mother is seated next to her grandfather.

The flag of Belgium will fly over East Hampton Village Hall next Thursday to mark Victory in Europe Day, the day celebrating the surrender of Germany’s armed forces in World War II.

Hugh King, the village historian, told the village board at its meeting on Friday that the Belgian Resistance against the German occupation was instrumental in the Allied victory in Europe. It was estimated that 5 percent of the country’s population was involved in some kind of resistance, he said, and that some 19,000 people, approximately 25 percent of the resistance membership, were killed.

“The resistance was particularly important in the liberation of Antwerp, assisting the British and Canadian forces in capturing the port before the Germans could sabotage it,” Mr. King said. “And how did we get the Belgian Resistance? We got it because of the next person I’m going to talk about: John LaGrappe Dominicus.”

Dominicus, the maternal grandfather of Dominique Cummings, the village treasurer, “was deeply involved in the resistance in Antwerp, Belgium, during World War II,” Mr. King said. He “took significant risk to help those prosecuted by the Germans. He forged identity cards for Jewish children and smuggled them safely into Holland. Additionally, he rescued downed English pilots, hiding them in a chicken coop in his yard until they could travel safely.”

“So when you see the Belgian flag flying over Village Hall on May 8,” Mr. King concluded, “that’s the reason.”

Villages

Time for the Airing of the Quilts at Duck Creek

The third annual Airing of the Quilts will take place on Saturday from noon to 5 at the Arts Center at Duck Creek (Sunday if it rains). Organized by Louise Eastman and Erica-Lynn Huberty, this year’s display is a tribute to the log cabin quilt, long a symbol of refuge and belonging. 

May 16, 2025

Traveling Vietnam Memorial to Visit Amagansett

“Getting to the wall is one of the steps in the healing process for combat vets from Vietnam. A lot of guys have survivor’s guilt. Maybe they missed a patrol and lost a bunch of buddies. Then there are family members who bring their kids and grandkids,” said Doc Russo, who travels around the country with a 300-foot replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C.

May 15, 2025

A Doctor’s Walk in Montauk

Edwin Keeshan, medical director of the Meeting House Lane Medical Practice in Montauk, will host the hamlet’s first Walk With a Doc, part of a national effort, on Saturday at 11 a.m. The meeting place is the gazebo on the downtown green.

May 15, 2025

 

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