20 March
The political parties begin their election campaigns. The biggest issue is the Confederation and the economic plans with ever closer economic union. Beyond that social welfare plays a big role as does the Flemish issue.
The Belgian Labour Party (Belgische Werkliedenpartij/ Parti Ouvrier Belge) led by Max Buset is campaigning on social policy issues and a generally an anti-Dutch union position.
The Christian Social Party (Parti Social Chrétien-Christelijke Volkspartij) under the leadership of August de Schryver is currently the majority party and its manifesto treads a careful line to keep within its past record and traditionalist policy agenda.
The Flemish National Union (Vlaams Nationaal Verbond), led by Staf de Clercq is campaigning on its traditional nationalist Flemish policy and is strongly pro-Union.
The Christian Flemish People's Union (Christelijke Vlaamse Volksunie) is the main rival to the VNV and its policies are broadly similar.
The Liberal Party (Liberale Partij/ Parti libéral) led by Roger Motz favours the economic union but wants greater free-market policies and more liberal social policies and the creation of a similar Welfare System to that currently under consideration in Great Britain.
The Communist Party of Belgium (Kommunistische Partij van België/ Parti Communiste de Belgique PCB) led by Julien Lahaut will campaign on its usual agenda.
After an uneventful voyage through the English Channel and then south across the Bay of Biscay, the Wielingen, Van Haverbeke and the Zenobe Gramme arrived today in Cleito, the capital city of Atlantis. A party of economists and civil servants hosted an exhibition of Belgian industrial products aboard the Zenobe Gramme. A party of Atlantean naval officers toured the ship and her consort, the Wielingen.
24 March
The Frontist newspaper De Schelde controlled by the Flemish National Union has begun printing vigorous election articles.
26 March
After departing Cleito, the Belgian naval force headed east to Gibraltar and then headed towards the Suez Canal. On 24 March one of Van Haverbeke’s distillers broke down and the ships briefly put into Valetta for repairs. This did not delay the schedule much and the ships arrived off Port Said this afternoon, waiting for their turn to enter the Canal. They sailed through, just behind the British cruiser HMS Bellerophon.
28 March
The modernisation of the nation’s minesweeping fleet continues. The first of the Herstal class inshore sweepers, the MS-1 Herstal commissions with 2nd Mine Warfare Squadron at Ostend today. Another three sisterships will commission later this year. This follows the very recent commissioning of four new mine warfare ships of the MW class with the 1st Mine Warfare Squadron at Antwerp on 18 March.
29 March
Progress of the Wielingen, Van Haverbeke and the Zenobe Gramme to Yemen was slower than expected. It took time to get through the Suez Canal and as the ships began to head south it was clear the Belgian ships had not been designed with tropical heat in mind, even in this early season of the year. Wielingen lacked any air conditioning and conditions below decks were very warm. The crew of the destroyer Van Haverbeke suffered less from the heat, but the ship’s engine rooms got very hot and conditions for the engineering crew were quite serious with six cases of heat stroke. The Zenobe Gramme’s workshops also began to warm up and two sets of ventilation fans failed when the load shorted the electric supply. Once at Yemen the crews had some shore leave and the next day Wielingen and Van Haverbeke conducted some co-operational naval exercises with the Yemeni craft, which had not ventured far out of port for some time, and locally-based Dutch naval seaplanes. The Zenobe Gramme’s workshops were fully active repairing defects and making small spare parts for the Yemeni craft.