WWII Monument to Jean Salomon Simon and Claudius Campan - Spier NL
Posted by: 
dreamhummie
N 52° 49.106 E 006° 28.031
32U E 329324 N 5855079
WWII Monument to Jean Salomon Simon and Claudius Campan located at Moraineweg in Spier, The Netherlands.
Waymark Code: WM13PQV
Location: Drenthe, Netherlands
Date Posted: 01/25/2021
Views: 3
The monument to Jean Salomon Simons (
visit link) and Claudius Campan (
visit link) in Spier (municipality of Midden-Drenthe)
'The text on the monument reads:
'JEAN SALOMON SIMON
AND
CLAUDIUS CAMPAN
KILLED 11-4-1945
AND BURIED AT KAPELLE BIEZELINGE'.
Modification:
The original monument consisted of a wooden pole with a plaque, crowned with an iron helmet. At the base of the pole were fieldstones. The memorial was 40 centimeters high, 30 centimeters wide and 5 centimeters deep. Due to road reconstructions, the memorial was moved several times. In April 2010 the name of Campan was added because he also fell near Spier. The wooden monument has been replaced by one made of natural stone.
The text on the original plaque read:
'JEAN SALOMON SIMON
KILLED 11-4-1945
AND BURIED AT
KAPELLE-BIEZELINGE'.
The monument for Jean Salomon Simon in Spier (municipality of Midden-Drenthe) was erected in memory of the French soldier who died on 11 April 1945 during the liberation of the village.
The French adjutant died during a fight with the occupying forces. In the night of 7 to 8 April 1945 groups of paratroopers of the Special Air Services (SAS) landed in the province of Drenthe. Most of them were of French origin. These paratroopers aimed to commit acts of sabotage and capture some strategically important objects, but mainly to create confusion among the occupying forces. With these actions they supported the allied army, which was on the way.'