FRANCE: THE EVENTS OF NO RETURN-WAR MEMORIALS IN FRENCH VILLAGES

FRANCE: THE EVENTS OF NO RETURN – WAR MEMORIALS IN FRENCH VILLAGES

What do they have in common the ancient French 

villages: Gourdon, Vallauris and Tourrettes-Sur – Loup?

Photos: The Public library of Vallauris Golf-Juan.

Gourdon and Tourrettes-Sur - Loup.

Photo: Tedd Urnes

War memorials set up for public viewing. A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.Great military victories had to be remembered and celebrated. The victories were the history of the nation.To celebrate the dead soldiers was a second concern. The Arc of Triomph in Paris contain no names of those who were killed in actions. The age of the lost soldiers are not always written on the monument.  At an age of 20, 25, 33 and 17 they were killed fighting the German occupation of France. The information is to be found on the war memorial set up in Gourdon.

Too young, all of them. In the village of Vallauris you find a name written on the war monument: Antonin Giordano. He was not killed during the Second World War. No. He was killed in a war not wanted in Algeria in year 1957. I have done some research on the soldier, but I cound not find much information about him.War memorials can be politically controversial. In France, however, you find no censurship in selections of the war people want to remember. Even the nasty French war in Algeria is chosen to be remembered. The war is not to be glorified, but those who have died. But who is Antonin Giordano who lost his life in war in Algeria?
He was born in June 9, 1937 and died, February 4, 1957. The Algerian War is also known as Algerian war of Independence or the Algerian Revolution. Guerre d'Agerie was a war between France and the Algerian independence movement from 1954 to 1964. President Charles de Gaulle decided to give up Algeria. The Algerian War was an unpopular war.The French authorities refused to use the term " guerre d'Algerie" for many years. In 1999 the national assembly passed a law officially allowing to use the " guerre d'Algerie".
Quotation from official reports about Antonin Giordano. " ...guerre d'Algerie. R.I.C Regiment d'Infanterie coloniale. Desparu lors du combat d'ain-oumi pres de Barbar...". Age:21.lieu, complement: Col d'Ain-Roume.

The unknown French soldier from Vallauris, Antonin  Giordano, was only one of many French soldiers who had to fight the war in Algeria. In January 1957 about 308,000 French soldiers were fighting in Algeria. Small villages in France want to honour those who had gone to wars and not returned. War memorials may serve as focal points of a political understanding between previous enemies too.  Some towns in France set up ” pacifist war memorials ”. Killed childeren and women rather than soldiers were to commemorating. The history took place whether you like the event or not. Norwegian soldiers who thought they  fought against  Russia fighting for the liberation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during the WWII are honoured and remembered in The Baltic countries, but not in Norway. Those who sided with the German occupation of Norway, were sentenced to prison for the support of the German occupants of the country. But the events are history anyway. The ancient French villages have understood the importance of tradition and local history. He was one of us. We all lost him, but we take care of the memory of you, what so ever. I appreciate the local attitude to history and tradition of the population of the ancient villages of France located  close to Nice, Cannes and Antibes.

Tourrettes- Sur- Loup: War memorial
Photo: Tedd Urnes