Hendrik Geeraert (15 July 1863, Nieuwpoort, Belgium – 17 January 1925, Bruges) was a Belgian folk hero who, during the interwar period, came to symbolize the Belgian resistance movement against the German forces in World War I. He became famous among Belgian soldiers in 1914 after the Battle of the Yser where he, serving as a Nieuwpoort skipper, opened the sluices of the Yser River, flooding the polders and bringing the German advance to a halt.
Geeraert was born at Langestraat 40 in Nieuwpoort, the son of the skipper Augustine Gheeraert and Anna Veranneman, a housekeeper and lace-maker. Hendrik became a riverboat skipper. At the age of 24, he married Melanie Jonckheerein in Veurne. The couple had eight children.
In October 1914, Geeraert came in touch with a Belgian detachment of marine engineers (sapper) guarding the sluices in Nieuwpoort. On 21 October they were ordered by their High Command to flood the polder at to protect the endangered bridgehead at Lombardsijde. Geeraert contributed to the success of the operation.
This was, however, a temporary respite and on 25 October they decided to flood the entire region between Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide. Karel Cogge, a Veurne local who worked for the water board, put forward two plans the first of which, plan A, was at first vetoed by the High Command but came back to the forefront after their attempt at the second plan, plan B, did not yield the expected results.
On 29 October, the High Command decided to go ahead and carry out Cogge's Plan A, which involved the opening of the spillway at the Ganzepoot sluice and lock complex in Nieuwpoort. Geeraert assisted in this effort. After the gates were raised, the area was slowly flooded, creating a marshland that spread as far as Diksmuide, avoiding a full German occupation of Belgium.[1]
After this success, the 51-year-old Geeraert remained with the marine company operating at the Ganzepoot. At the end of the war, he became ill. On 25 December 1924, on his deathbed, he was awarded the Order of Leopold. He also received the unofficial honorific of "Legendary figure of the field Army 1914-1918", the same honorific was also used for King Albert I of Belgium. He also received service medals with seven bars for his service at the front. He died in the St. Julius Almshouse of the Brothers of Charity on Bouveriestraat in Bruges on 17 January 1925. He was buried with honors.
His portrait was printed on the 1000 Belgian franc banknote in the 1950s.