French Servicemen Cenotaph

Montréal,

Type

Other

This monument honours the French servicemen from Montreal and the Canadian volunteers enrolled in the French army who died for France during the two world wars of the 20th century. On its sides are inscribed the names of the 108 servicemen killed for France, of which 102 were French and six were Canadian volunteers enrolled in the French army. It was decided in 1926, under the impulsion of the president of Souvenir Français à Montréal, Mr. Marcel Nougier, to erect a monument to those heroes in Montreal. An organizing committee including the Mayor of Montreal, the General Consul of France, the president of Souvenir Français and representatives of several French associations of the time made the project possible. The City proposed to erect the monument downtown, in Lafontaine Park (then called the Lafontaine Gardens), in the area facing Sherbrooke and Papineau Streets, across from Notre-Dame Hospital. Construction of the monument was commissioned by the director of the École des Beaux-Arts to a young artist, Mr. Pierre-André Normandeau. The cenotaph was unveiled on July 14th, 1931 in a ceremony that was certainly very moving: in the presence of the Premier of the Province of Quebec, military and religious dignitaries from Montreal, the general consuls of France, the United States and Belgium, and many French, Canadian and American war veterans, the cenotaph was unveiled by a young woman, left orphaned by the war. Many years later, in 1992, the City of Paris decided to give the City of Montreal a monument honouring the memory of General de Gaulle, to commemorate the 350th anniversary of its foundation. Since that monument was also to be erected near Sherbrooke Street, along Lafontaine park, the 1931 cenotaph was moved to the centre of the park. The maple stand surrounding it today is particularly appropriate to that place of peace and memory. Since then, the French veterans associations of Montreal, along with elected representatives and delegates from the French authorities, gather around the monument every November 11th and May 8th to commemorate the sacrifice made by the French and Canadian soldiers.

Inscription

[front/devant]

AUX MORTS FRANÇAIS DE MONTRÉAL ET AUX VOLONTAIRES CANADIENS DE L’ARMÉE CANADIENNE 1914-1918 1939-1945.

CENAIRON PAUL CAP, CRISSEZ EMILE CAP, BERGREND FABIEN, LT, LE BAILLY FERNAND, LT, REVOL A. FRANÇOIS LT, DE LA TOUR FONDUE JEAN S-LT, HERBERT PAUL, S-LT, JENIN GEORGES MAJOR, VELINAT JEAN, ASP, BEZARD ALBERT ADJ, BARLATIER EMILE, SGT, BONARD PAUL SGT, DE BEAUMANOIR EMMANUEL SGT, FLOUET MARCEL SGT, CALLET LUCIEN SGT, HUQUET GEORGES SGT, POULET XAVIER SGT, PETRAZ JEAN BP, CANTER MAURICE BP, CORNIER FORTUNA BP, LEQUEUX HENRI CAPT, MACHERAS JOSEPH CAPT, SLOCNER ETIENNE CAPT, ACHARD JACQUES, AGULHON LOUIS, ALATERRE HENRI, AUDRAIN J., AULAGNON JEAN, AUZEBY ALEXANDRE, BAUER JEAN-BTE, BERNIGAUD PHILIPPE, BLONDEAU LOUIS, BOISSEAU PROSPER, BOUFFARD ADOLPHE, BOURGEOIS RENÉ, BOYER JEAN-BTE, BRIEU ARMAND, CHABANCE ANTOINE, COUTON EUGÉNE, DAGON ERNEST, DAGUERRE JOSEPH, DEARBURN PIERRE, DELOURME CHARLES, DE MAILLY P., DIEULEFET FRÉDÉRIC, DUHAMEL MARCEL, DUPONT JEAN, ELOQUIN JEAN-BTE, EYBALIN ADRIEN, FLEURIEL PAUL, FLEURY M., FOREST ACHILLE, FOURNIER LOUIS ET GALIBET CALLIXTE.

COLAS A.G., GETIN LOUIS, GIROUARD JULES, GRASSET JEAN, GUICHERET FÉLIX, GUYOT FERNAND, HAMON RAOUL, HENRY LOUIS, HENNAN DAVID, HOOPER FRANCIS, HOUSS FRANÇOIS, HOUZET P., JACOB CORENTIN, JACQUEMENT RENÉ, LAURENS CHARLES, LEBARBANCHON JEAN, LEBARBANCHON LOUIS, LEBORGNE MICHEL, LE GUYON LOUIS, LE MOAL PIERRE, LEROUX BARTHELEMY, LIDOUREN J., MALANDAIN HENRI, MALLET DE CHAUNY L., MENAGER E., MOREL EUGÈNE, MORIN ANDRÉ, MOUTON HENRI, MUTEREL GEORGES, NICOULEAU JEAN, OILU CORENTIN, OMNES JEAN, RANNOU YVES, RENAUT ALFRED, RIOUX FRANCOIS, ROSTIAUX PIERRE, SEITZ AUGUSTE, SIGNERET PIERRE, STERVINOU A., TEXIER ERNEST, THIERCELIN URBAIN, THOMAS FÉLIX, THUILLIER ALEXANDRE, TROHEL LOUIS, CANADIENS: CARON PAUL ASP, PELTON ALFRED SGT, LECOURS ADOLPHE CAPT, BERTRAND DONAT, LINOSSIER HENRI, RENAUD NAPOLÉON, SMITH HADEY, RAMSEY A.H.

1939-1945 - BOURGETEL JEAN-PAUL, GUEPIN YVON, MINGAM EMILE, PANNEELS JACQUES, VENNAT ANDRÉ, J.B. SOUCY ARCHIT., PIERRE A. NORMANDE, SCULPTEUR J. BRUNET LIMITÉE, ENTREPRENEUR.