Victor de Laveleye

Victor de Laveleye was a Belgian Liberal politician, sportsman and broadcaster who left occupied Belgium during the Second World War and worked with the BBC’s Belgian service in London. In January 1941 he proposed that listeners use the letter V as a public sign of resistance because it could stand for both victoire in French and vrijheid in Dutch.

The suggestion developed into the wider V for Victory campaign, promoted by the BBC and adopted across occupied Europe. The symbol was later strongly associated with Winston Churchill and Allied resistance propaganda. De Laveleye originated the wartime V-sign campaign that the BBC transformed into a transnational symbol of resistance to Nazi occupation.

David Boyle’s V for Victory recounts the radio campaign that turned a simple letter into one of the most recognisable symbols of resistance in occupied Europe. Belgian broadcaster Victor de Laveleye encouraged listeners to use the letter V for victoire and vrijheid, and the idea was amplified by the BBC’s European broadcasts until the sign appeared in graffiti, coded rhythms and public gestures across territories controlled by Nazi Germany.