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Chris Van Kerckhoven (born 12 Nov 1955) was born and raised in Geel but resided for quite a number of years in Westerlo.
He received his formal education at the local St Lamberts College which he crowned with an all round vocational training in men's renowned hair salons in all of Belgium.
In 1977/78 he completed his compulsory military duty, working in the Headquarters of the Belgian 16th Armored Division which was stationed in West Germany.
Since April of 1991 he is employed by the Norbertine Fathers working at their abbey located in Tongerlo/Westerlo.
His interest in the history of wars goes back to his early youth. It was passed on to him by his grandfather. This former village schoolteacher was the proud owner of a very impressive library filled with an assortment of war literature. It was in his library that the still very young Chris with an unquenchenable thirst spend hours on end leafing through the many volumes. It was here that his interest in history took on a definitive form.
In 1982 Chris acquired his first metal detector. This, at first glance, sort of trite occurence started the ball definitely rolling though. He trekked in to the higher elevations of the Ardennes Forest where, during World War II the "Battle of the Ardennes" also referred to as the "Battle of the Bulge", was fought, or to Geel, a little closer to home, where in September 1944 the British (50th Northumbrian Inf. Div., Nottinghamshire Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, 15th Scottish Inf. Div.) and Germans were engaged in fierce battles. During his treasure hunts he had some valuable finds of canteens, mess kits, helmets, rifles, bullets, (hand)grenades, mortar shells and unexploded bombs(of course when he does run into unexploded ammunition he always notifies the proper authorities and he will nothing to do with anyone who does not adhere to the rules). All of this brought new life to his unsatiable interests in war history. With unrelenting fervor he delved into the history of the dramatical events of Geel during September 1944.
Thus, since 1983 he has build and expanded an immense network of English, Scots, German and American veterans. He also established an extensive archive of thousands of specialized books, old trade magazines, military reports, microfilms and studies out of Great Britain, Germany and the United States.
He has a lively ongoing correspondence with many local historians as well as many from other countries. As a result of his intensive research he was able to develop himself over the years both in Belgium and abroad as a respected co worker of many newspapers and magazines.
In the meantime, his research has been noted and appreciated at all levels, as evidenced by the many honorary memberships, the many awards and diplomas presented by military units of foreign countries and the many autographed pictures that Chris, over the years, has received from well known American and other personalities among which the former Presidents of the United States Ronald Reagan and George Bush; General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S.A. ("Desert Storm"); formerly U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Alan J. Binken; Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, U.S.A.; Senator Steve Symms, U.S.A. (Ret.); the late Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley, U.S.A. ("the Seawolf"); Bernard Shaw formerly of CNN; (War)Photographer Tony Vaccaro, U.S.A.; Lt. Gen. Emmeth H. Walker (former director of the National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon, U.S.A.); Dr. Delbert E. Philpott, top NASA scientist and a war veteran not without fame, who, by the way, even came to visit Chris in Westerlo in May of 1995. It was Philpott who made history when, near Torgau at the Elbe River on April 25, 1945 he and a few other soldiers of the American 69th Infantry Division, shook hands with a few Russian soldiers. This picture of that historical encounter is known as the second most famous picture of W.W.II.
In Germany: the late Prof.Dr.Dr. Friedrich August Baron von der Heydte, Brigade General out of service, who was one of Germany's most famous W.W.II paratrooper officers.
In India: the late Dr. Moti Lal Bhargava, M.A., D.Phill, Senior Research Professor State Institute of Education, U.P. Allahabad.
And many others...
Another event which Chris remembers with much pride is the day that he received an American flag complete with certificate authenticating that this particular flag had flown above the Capitol in Washington DC. The certificate issued in his name was signed by the architect of the Capitol, the Honourable George M. White, FAIA.
His vast knowledge of the history of world wars is not limited to the ground war only. His interest in the air war over Belgium in W.W.II is of immense interest to him as well. He, in recent years, has been instrumental in the erection of several monuments honoring allied crews killed over Belgium. Not only was he able to ascertain, even after 50/60 years, the identify of the crashed planes but he was also successful in tracing the names of the planes' crew and their next of kin.
In addition to everything else, Chris gives presentations to interested groups about the results of all his research, which is ongoing, as it pertains to W.W.II.
Last but not least, Chris is an "amateur field-archeologist". Over the years, with the aid of his professional XP ADX200 metal detector, he has been able to amass a sizeable collection of valuable metal artifacts. Included in his collection are hundreds of musket balls and centuries-olds coins, among the many other archeological finds he has excavated over the years on the grounds of the centuries old and beautiful Norbertine abbey of Tongerlo (Westerlo).
You can and may contact Chris, without any obligation at the address below.

Thanking you for your interest.

Chris Van Kerckhoven
E.J. Van Gansenstraat 21
B-2260 Westerlo
Belgium
Email: chris.van.kerckhoven@telenet.be