The quote ‘Blessent mon coeur d’une langueur monotone’, (Wound my heart with a monotonous languor), comes from the first verse of the poem Chanson d'Automne (Song of Autumn) by Paul Verlaine and appears on the Stoke Normandy Veterans Memorial plaque on the Stoke Cenotaph.
""Chanson d'automne" ("Autumn Song") is a poem by Paul Verlaine (1844–1896), one of the best known in the French language. It is included in Verlaine's first collection, Poèmes saturniens, published in 1866. The poem forms part of the "Paysages tristes" ("Sad landscapes") section of the collection.
In World War II lines from the poem were used to send messages from Special Operations Executive (SOE) to the French Resistance about the timing of the forthcoming Invasion of Normandy.
In preparation for Operation Overlord, the BBC's Radio Londres had signaled to the French Resistance with the opening lines of the 1866 Verlaine poem "Chanson d'Automne" were to indicate the start of D-Day operations under the command of the Special Operations Executive. The first three lines of the poem, "Les sanglots longs / des violons / de l'automne" ("Long sobs of autumn violins"), would mean that Operation Overlord was to start within two weeks. These lines were broadcast on 1 June 1944. The next set of lines, "Blessent mon coeur / d'une langueur / monotone" ("wound my heart with a monotonous languor"), meant that it would start within 48 hours and that the resistance should begin sabotage operations, especially on the French railroad system; these lines were broadcast on 5 June at 23:15." SOURCE: (
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Stoke Cenotaph is located on in front of the Kings Hall on Kingsway in Stoke.
This memorial commemorates those who lost their lives in Korea (1950-1953), First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945).
The cenotaph stands in a walled enclosure. It is brick built with a large cross in relief made from lighter brick taking up most of each face. It was unveiled on 07th July 1938 and replaced a First World War memorial of Portland stone, a replica of the Whitehall cenotaph, which had been erected in 1920, funded by public subscription. It was set up in a prominent location outside the Kings Hall.
Stoke-on-Trent new Cenotaph and surrounding walls are Grade II listed.
Description by Historic England:
"A cenotaph of columns of bull-nosed red bricks, with a large cross in relief, of buff brick, to each face, set on a plain red brick plinth with moulded top. The cenotaph steps in towards the top, and has a ball finial at each corner supporting a flat capping stone. A bronze plaque affixed to the front face of the plinth carries the inscription THE / GLORIOUS / DEAD / 1914 – 1918 / 1939 – 1945. Further plaques commemorate the Battle of Normandy (1944, set up by the Normandy Veterans’ Association), Battle of Dunkirk (1940, set up by the Dunkirk Veterans’ Association), the Battle of El Alamein (1942, set up by the Eighth Army Association) and the Korean War (1950-3).
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES
The memorial stands in a square enclosure bounded by low walls of brown brick, with a canted pier with flat stone cap at each corner, and scrolling brick to the openings on each side." SOURCE: (
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The Stoke Normandy Veterans Memorial plaque is a plain rectangular metal plaque with the inscription in relief and two shields.
The inscription reads as follows;
"NORMANDY VETERANS ASSOCIATION
STOKE - ON - TRENT BRANCH
Two relief shields
TO COMMEMORATE THE BATTLE
FOR NORMANDY
8TH JUNE TO 20TH AUGUST 1944
DEDICATED TO THE MEN OF THE
ALLIED FORCES
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THIS AND
OTHER BATTLES TO FREE EUROPE IN
WORLD WAR II
BLESSENT MON COEUR D'UNE
LANGUER MONOTONE
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
DONATED BY SWEETMORE ENG"