Matching Pairs Bonaparte DockOnline version Match the pictures with the correct description and find out more about Bonaparte Dock. by Indra Trusgnach 1 2 3 4 5 Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the construction of Antwerp's first lock and dock in 1811. After the construction of 8 docks in 1908, WOI broke out. The Port of Antwerp had a strategic importance. After the Belgian revolution, Belgians feared a Dutch blockade. But with the support of Britain and Lord Palmerston, the Belgian government was able to redem the Dutch Toll in 1863. In 1944, during the Second World War, allied forces liberated Antwerp on the 4th of September. Winston Churhcill arrived in Antwerp on the 4th of October 1914 to take charge of the defense of the city and its port.