This is the List of World War I memorials and cemeteries in Champagne-Ardenne.
The modern-day Champagne-Ardenne, bordering Belgium in northeast France, covers four departments: Aube, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, and Marne. This region saw much fighting in World War I (1914–1918) and many battles, of which arguably the most important were the First Battle of the Marne and the Second Battle of the Marne. The First Battle of the Marne, also known as the Miracle of the Marne, was fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. The battle effectively ended the month-long German offensive that had opened the war and the counterattack of six French field armies and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) along the Marne River forced the German Imperial Army to abandon its push on Paris and retreat northeast to the Aisne river, setting the stage for four years of trench warfare on the Western Front
The Second Battle of the Marne (a.k.a. the Battle of Reims), fought from 15 July to 6 August 1918, was the last major German attack of their five-phase Spring Offensive. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by French forces and including several hundred tanks overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting severe casualties. The German defeat marked the start of the relentless Allied advance of the Hundred Days Offensive which culminated in the Armistice.
Needing to come to terms with the loss of so many lives in the conflict, particularly those whose remains went unidentified, war memorials – known in France as monuments aux morts, literally "monuments to the dead" – became a focal point and replaced individual graves and gravestones. Between 1919 and 1926, many thousands of memorials were erected throughout France, including large national monuments, civic memorials, war cemeteries, private memorials, halls and parks. Ceremonies are often held at the memorials, including those on Armistice Day and the Fêtes de la Victoire.
Battles of the Marne
Memorial to the First Battle of the Marne at Mondemont
Memorial to the First Battle of the Marne at MondemontThe memorial at Mondemont commemorates the First Battle of the Marne, fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. Its location is on the site of the Château de Mondement, south of the marshes of St Gond. On 6 September 1917, President of the Republic Raymond Poincaré held a ceremony here to commemorate the third anniversary of the battle. The French parliament subsequently voted Mondemont as the preferred site for the memorial.
In 1929, the Beaux-Arts administration organised a competition to select a suitable design for the memorial. Eventually, the commission went to the architect Paul Bigot who proposed Henri Bouchard for the main sculptural work. The monument was to take the form of a huge column to symbolise the significance of the German advance being halted, and at the top there would be a sculpture in relief of an "Angel of Victory" which would be assigned to Bouchard while bas-reliefs at the base would be assigned to established sculptors Alfred Bottiau, Albert Patrisse and René André Duparc.
In December 1933, the monument was completed, but there had been difficulty in raising funds to complete the sculpture. The monument remained covered in scaffolding until 1938 when its sculptural work was completed. The inauguration was set for 19 September 1939, but the outbreak of World War II delayed this until 23 September 1951.
The monument rises to a height of and its concrete is pink in colour. The whole monument with its metal base and deep foundations weighed 2000 tonnes. The monument's scale evokes both power and defiance, as the designer had intended.
At the base, bas-reliefs featured depictions of all the main Generals involved in the battle, with Joseph Joffre in the centre, his arm around a French soldier. Around him, Joffre's generals are positioned in the geographical order (from Verdun to Senlis) that they held in the battle. From left to right they are Generals Sarrail (Third Army), Langle de Cary (Fourth Army), Foch (Ninth Army), Franchet d'Espèrey (Fifth Army), Field Marshal French (BEF), Manoury (Sixth Army) and Gallieni (The Army of Paris).
There are two main inscriptions on the column: and the second features Joffre's "Order of the Day" of 6 September 1914:
Other inscriptions cover the make-up of the different armies that were involved in the Allied formation and each face to the point where they were positioned at the start of the offensive. These were: The Army of Paris / General Gallieni The 6th Army of General Maunoury positioned from Betz to Meaux Battle place of the English Army positioned from Villiers-sur-Morin to Jouy-le-Châtel. The 5th Army of General Franchet d'Espèrey positioned from Provins to Sézanne The 9th Army of General Foch positioned from Sézanne to the camp at Mailly The 4th Army of General de Langle de Cary positioned from the camp at Mailly to Sermaize The 3rd Army of General Sarrail positioned from Revigny to Verdun. British expeditionary Force Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Sir J.D.P. French.
Below each of these are listed the different Corps involved.
There is one final inscription which strikes a philosophical note:
During the occupation from 1940 to 1944, the Germans left the monument untouched. The local people call it the "Carrot".
At the top of the monument a Celtic harp faces east and the winged statue of Victory flies from east to west through thunder, lightning and battle trumpets with the words: Memorial to the First Battle of the Marne at Mondemont Association Mondement 1914. Comprehensive website on Mondement (in French but Google translation facility can be used). Retrieved 20 January 2013
Some images from Mondemont
Memorial to the Battles of the Marne at Dormans Memorial to the Battles of the Marne at DormansThe memorial at Dormans commemorates both Battles of the Marne. The memorial lies in the wooded park belonging to the Chateau of Dormans. There is a chapel, a crypt and an ossuary. The stained glass windows in the chapel are the work of the Chartres firm of Lorin and the sculptures are by Firmin-Marcelin Michelet (1875–1951).
Next to the chapel is a covered area and on the walls are recorded the names of the various regiments that were involved in both battles, and relief carvings of Joseph Joffre and Ferdinand Foch, Allied Army leaders of the 1914 and 1918 battles, respectively. Their achievements are recorded, stressing the significance of the battles.Dormans Memorial Le Mémorial des batailles de la Marne. Retrieved 20 January 2013
Memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne at the Butte de Chalmont Memorial to the Second Battle of the Marne at the Butte de ChalmontDedicated to the victory at the Second Battle of the Marne, the national memorial at the Butte de Chalmont was inaugurated on 21 July 1935 by President Lebrun. It is the work of sculptor Paul Landowski and is considered to be one of the most striking monuments on the Western Front. The memorial is on the east face of the hill (butte), which was part of the plateau from which the Allies launched their counter-attack.
On the lower slope of the hill is a sculpture of a woman in a simple cloak carrying a shield on her left arm; she represents France and is walking forward and looking to the east. Behind her, are four long steps, representing the four years of the 1914–1918 war. These lead some 150 yards up the slope to the sculpture les fantômes. Its eight figures represent a young recruit, an engineer, a machine-gunner, a grenadier, a colonial soldier, an infantryman and a pilot, surrounding death who is leaving his shroud. The figures have their eyes closed; they are seeking their missing comrades.
To the left and right of the memorial are two carved stone tablets. That on the left records the events of the battle and that on the right lists the Allied Generals who took part in the battle under Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies, Ferdinand Foch.
The stone tablet on the left reads Butte de Chalmont WW1 Memorials. Retrieved 11 February 2013
Memorials to the Missing These battles involved the deaths of many men and there are two major British "Memorials to the Missing" for the men lost whose remains could not be identified. The memorials at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre links to the First Battle of the Marne, and that at Soissons which links to the 1918 battle.
Monuments in Reims and the surrounding area Reims was a front-line city throughout the four years of the war and suffered bombardment from German artillery. The Reims Cathedral was bombed and damaged on many occasions, and images of it became a rallying icon in the non-German world. Sixty per cent of Reims was destroyed during the 1914–1918 war, and 4,567 Reims men were killed in the conflict, with a further 740 civilian casualties.
The monument aux morts in Reims The monument aux morts in ReimsThe war memorial in Reims is located in the Place de la République. The architect was Henri Royer with sculptural work by Paul Lefèbvre. It was inaugurated in 1930 by Philippe Pétain and the Minister of War André Maginot. The central statue in bronze shows a youth deep in thought. There are reliefs on either side of this central figure. The relief on the left is entitled "1914 le sacrifice" and is dedicated to the families of the dead ("Aux familles des morts pour exalter la grandeur de leur sacrifice.") while that on the right bears the legend "1918 la leçon du passé" and speaks to future generations reminding them not to forget the sacrifices of their parents ("Aux generations nouvelles pour qu'elles sachent et se souviennent"). A list of the names of the dead was sealed up with one of the memorial's bricks and there is a book in the Reims town hall which also contains this information. Along the top is the inscription: Monument aux Morts Reims www.memorial-genweb.org. Retrieved 21 January 2013
The Monument aux infirmières de Reims The Monument aux infirmières de ReimsReims is the location of a monument dedicated to nurses from France and overseas who lost their lives serving in the war. The monument "à la gloire des infirmières françaises et alliées victimes de leur dévouement" was financed by international subscriptions organised by a committee founded and run by Juliette Adam. The architect was Charles Girault and the sculptural work is by Denys Puech. The inauguration took place on 11 November 1924, and amongst those assembled for the ceremony were Cardinal Luçon (the Archbishop of Reims), Pastor Gonin, Rabbi Hermann and General Pau.Monument hommage aux infirmières Reims Les mémoriaux, mausolées, monuments, stèles et plaques commémoratives de la 1ère guerre mondiale dans la Marne. Retrieved 21 January 2013
Monument to the 132nd and 332nd French Infantry Regiments plus the 46th Territorials Monument to the 132nd and 332nd French Infantry Regiments plus the 46th TerritorialsThe monument to the 132nd and 332nd French Infantry Regiment plus the 46th Territorials features a sculpture of a French soldier (poilu). It was part of the scheme to reconstruct Reims after the war, initiated by the architects Hippolyte Portevin and Max Sainsaulieu. The actual monument was the design of the architect Émile Fanjat and was funded by subscriptions raised by the veterans of the 132nd in particular, to honour the men who were killed fighting in Les Éparges between 23 October 1914 and 12 April 1915. The inscription on the monument reads The soldier on the top of the monument is the work of Paul Lefèbvre who worked on the Reims monument aux morts.Monument to the 132nd French Infantry Regiment CNDP Reims. Retrieved 27 January 2013
Monuments to the 24th, 28th, 133rd and 363rd French Infantry Regiments at Loivre