V for Victory

After Nazi Germany occupied Belgium, the former Minister of Justice fled into exile with the government. In London, on 14 January 1941, he hosted a memorable broadcast on Radio Belgique, the BBC's French-language station. There he suggested a common code to his compatriots - the letter V, "because V is the first letter of the words 'Victoire' (Victory) in French and 'Vrijheid' in Flemish: two things that belong together, since Walloons and Flemish are marching hand in hand at the moment, two things that result from the other, the victory that gives us back our freedom, the victory of our good friends, the English. Your word for victory also begins with V," explained the liberal politician. "As you can see, everything fits."

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