Transport Office of the Devastated Territories of West Flanders

The Belgian Transport Office of the Devastated Territories of West Flanders (Flemish: Vervoerdienst der Verwoeste Gewesten, French: Exploitation des Transports des Régions Dévastées, ETRD) operated 260 road transport vehicles and a 700 km long light railway network with a track gauge of during the post-war period of World War I in West Flanders.

History
During the reconstruction of the areas in West Flanders that were destroyed during the First World War, the transport of building materials was not an easy task, as the destroyed infrastructure caused many problems. To solve this, the State Service of the Devastated Territories (Flemish: Dienst der Verwoeste Gewesten, DVG) set up the Transport Office of the Devastated Territories in West Flanders, called Exploitation des Transports des Régions Dévastées, ETRD in French.

In the autumn of 1919, the Transport Office took over the light railway network built by English and Belgian forces from the War Ministry. It had its headquarters in Roeselare and branches in Vlamertinge, Veurne, Sint-Idesbald and Menen. It operated from 9 April 1919 to 19 August 1926 and was successively subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of State Administration (later the Ministry of Economic Affairs) and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Transport Office lent vehicles and equipment to organisations and private individuals. It provided Decauville material to brickmakers from January 1920 onwards when they contacted the Transport Board (ETRD) at Spanjestraat 56 in Roeselaere in this regard. At the height of its activity it owned 87 steam and 69 motor locomotives, 1974 light railway wagons and a 700 km network of light railways, narrow gauge railways and Decauville railways.



In the autumn of 1919, the Transport Department already had 260 trucks and tractors for road transport. Despite these efforts, the destroyed infrastructure and the huge volume of transport led to challenges, including the need to deliver six billion bricks between 1 January 1920 and 30 June 1922. In a letter dated 25 May 1922, the Transport Service requested the delivery of a further six billion bricks. May 1922, the Transport Service requested the construction company Batteauw, Van Overmeire & Devos of Oudenaarde to lay the Decauville railway, which it leased, on a new route, as the British Military Cemetery Service wanted to make the Bedford House military cemetery permanent, and the railway line was an obstacle.

In January 1925, when reconstruction was almost complete, this equipment was sold on to the army because local contractors complained of unfair competition. Several communities obtained Decauville track and rolling stock through the agency of the Transport Department.

Rail track
The inventory of October 1920 listed the following track lengths:


 * Lines in service: 445 km.
 * Lines leased out: 120 km
 * Lines to be dismantled: 100 km
 * New lines to be laid: 14 km
 * Tracks in storage at the storage yard: 21 km
 * Total: 700 km

External links to historic photographs

 * Arthur Brusselle: Rail wagon in the Devastated Territories after the end of World War I.
 * Arthur Brusselle: Geluveld near Zonnebeke in the Devastated Territories after the end of World War I.