Pierre Laigneil

Pierre Laigneil was an ex-student of Guido Gezelle at the minor seminary in Roeselare. He became a zouave thanks to Gezelle, who pleaded for him with his parents. On September 18th, 1860 he was wounded by a bullet in his right arm during the battle of Castelfirado. The bullet was surgically removed in the French place Osimo. After his resignation as a zouave he returned to Roeselare as a hero on January 10th 1861. For his exploit he was granted a medal of honor as knight in the order of Pius IX. Also Gezelle continued supporting him and used him as an example. On October 14th 1868 Pierre Laigneil married Hortense Delbaere and settled in Kortrijk as a textile merchant. In 1892 he became the vicepesident of the West-Flemish Papal Zouaves Association. For his eldest son Jules Laigneil Gezelle wrote the first communion poem "Je sais que du Seigneur je suis l’ami intime".