A Brief History of the Pegasus Museum

In 1976, the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bidlot, made a bold decision: to establish a museum within the 1st Belgian Parachute Battalion — a place where our history would not fade, but live on.
The heavy task fell to Warrant Officer Class One Demuynck, his Corporal Bonne, and the conscripts of the Social and Cultural Information Service. Without much support from the rest of the battalion, they worked for months, driven by pride and a sense of duty, until the museum finally opened — modestly, in a corner of the inner courtyard.

It quickly became the meeting place for discharged classes and reunions. Here, stories were shared, friendships rekindled, and memories cherished. The success grew, and in 1987 the museum expanded to three rooms to also record the later exploits of our unit.

But in 1991, disaster struck. A new firearms law and strict directives from the Land Forces General Staff banned unit-level museums — especially those with weapons. Overnight, the commander found himself in illegality. Our collection was at risk of being seized. The museum, the heart of our memory, was to disappear.

No one allowed that to happen. Thousands of former paratroopers — for whom the museum was a sacred link to their past — rose in protest. Under the leadership of Mr. Dumont, retired regimental sergeant major, former officers, NCOs, and career volunteers joined forces with the active unit.

The solution was the creation of a Non-Profit Association. The road was long and hard — statutes had to be written, permits obtained, concessions and insurance arranged, funds raised. The unit could no longer officially assist, so every step forward came from the determination of our community.

On November 9, 1995, the new N.P.A. was officially born. Under the presidency of the tireless Mr. Dumont, the reconstruction of the museum began.

The mission of the association is clear and unwavering:

• To keep alive the traditions of the Belgian Special Air Service and our paratrooper units.
  
  

• To preserve and protect the military heritage of the Diest garrison.
  
  

Today, the museum tells the story of our paratroopers in four rooms and several casemates. There are no fixed opening hours; only groups by appointment can visit the museum and the citadel fortifications — completely free of charge.

Ten years after its re-establishment, the association has its own website, enabling veterans and the general public to find us more easily, discover our history, and arrange new visits.

This museum is more than bricks and display cases. It is a monument of courage, camaraderie, and loyalty. As long as we exist, our history will never be silent.