Arzano War Memorial, Brittany, France
Posted by: 
mumbo jumbo
N 47° 54.044 W 003° 26.561
30T E 466914 N 5305361
An unusual war memorial in the village of Arzano, Brittany, France. There is also a plaque of General de Gaulle's radio broadcast from London to the people of France on 18 June 1940 which is widely credited as the birth of the French Resistance.
Waymark Code: WM71MR
Location: France
Date Posted: 08/19/2009
Views: 15
Arzano is a small village in Brittany, France. The war memorial is at street level on the main road through the village at the foot of some steps which lead up to the village church (St Pierre-aux-Liens). The granite memorial was designed by sculpteur Jean Joncourt in the early 1920s and is unusual on account of the dynamic "action" pose of the French soldier atop the memorial. The soldier is carrying a box of some kind and is about to hurl a grenade. This is a far cry from the more sombre memorials I am used to seeing in Britain and elsewhere in France. The memorial also bears the Croix de Lorraine and a laurel wreath.
The site is also interesting for the ceramic metal plaque a couple of metres away dedicated to the famous radio broadcast made by General Charles de Gaulle from London across France on 18 June 1940. The speech / broadcast is widely credited as giving rise to the French Resistance movement. A photo of the plaque appears in the gallery. A rough translation appears below:
"TO THE PEOPLE OF FRANCE
France has lost a battle!
But France has not lost the war!
The Government may have surrendered, leading to panic, forgetting honour, delivering the country into slavery. However, nothing is lost! Nothing is lost, because this war is a world war. In the free world, great powers have not yet succumbed. One day, these forces will crush the enemy. When that happens, France must be part of that victory. Thus will France regain its freedom and greatness. That is my goal, my sole goal.
That is why I invite all French people, wherever they are, to join with me in action, in sacrifice and in hope. Our fatherland is in in mortal danger. Let us fight to save it!
Long live France!
General de Gaulle"
I struggled with a couple of bits of this translation so am very open to suggested improvements!!
Type of Memorial: Multi-War Memorial
Wars mentioned (Multi-war only):
The wars are not mentioned per se. However the years of death are 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1939-1945. Hence:
World War 1
World War 2
In Honor Of: Aux enfants d'Arzano, morts pour la France (which translates roughly as "To the children of Arzano who died for France").
Marker Text:
Aux enfants d'Arzano, morts pour la France
The memorial also bears the names of all the dead (see gallery photos)
Date of dedication: Early 1920s
Who Put it Here?: People of the village of Arzano
Description of Memorial:
See above
|
Visit Instructions:
Visited Logs must contain, at least, a picture of the monument and your GPSr. Preferably YOU at the monument with your GPSr, but we understand that some people are camera-shy.
It is suggested you please include something about your visit here, as well.