British monument
Doel was liberated relatively late at the end of the Second World War. On September 10, 1944, the Germans had left everywhere in the Waasland except Doel. Heavily armed German rearguards protected the access roads while about 15,000 German soldiers moved towards Doel via Kallo, Kieldrecht and Prosperpolder. There the skippers and their ships were requisitioned to put the German men across the Scheldt. Their horses wandered aimlessly in the polder for weeks. To this day, abandoned ammunition is still regularly found during excavations.
From the end of September 1944, the British anti-aircraft guns placed their guns on the dike of the Scheldt. Shortly afterwards came the barrage balloons and the searchlights. They had to protect Antwerp and also the Waasland against the V-bombs that were fired at the Port of Antwerp for months.

On June 20, 1948, a monument in honor of the British liberators was inaugurated in the presence of the highest personalities of the country. The British monument became a national memorial where a commemoration took place every year. The monument, with great emotional value for Doel, was demolished in 2011 – shortly before its final protection. After protest it was put back but not in its original place. It is now a few kilometers away, tucked away behind the Doel Nuclear Power Plant. A modest cross on the original site is a reminder of the monument.