Ménil-sur-Belvitte French national war cemetery

La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © ECPAD
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Begun in 1914 following the Battle of Mortagne, the national war cemetery of Ménil-sur-Belvitte contains the remains of 1,096 French soldiers, 197 of which were placed in an ossuary. In 1924, this site was rearranged to hold the exhumed remains from temporary military cemeteries in the region. On the initiative of the Abbé Collé, village priest and local representative of the association Souvenir Français, a monument was erected, opposite the cemetery, to commemorate the 13th, 14th, 15th and 21st Army Corps. In the parish church, a stain glass window also commemorates the commitment of these units. During the war, this priest transformed his rectory into an infirmary. From 1915, he created a museum with objects found in the surrounding battlefields. In 1944, this collection disappeared during the withdrawal of the occupying troops.
La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © Guillaume Pichard
La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © Guillaume Pichard
La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © Guillaume Pichard
La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © Guillaume Pichard

La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © ECPAD
La nécropole nationale de Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © Guillaume Pichard

Portail de l'église de Ménil-sur-Belvitte, les cloches fondues, 30 août 1915. © Collections BDIC

Musée de la bataille de Ménil-sur-belvitte, 30 août 1915. © Collections BDIC

Ruines du village de Ménil-sur-Belvitte, 31 août 1915. © Collections BDIC

Ruines du château de Villé à Ménil-sur-Belvitte, août 1915. © Collections BDIC

Maisons bombardées de Ménil-sur-Belvitte, 28 août 1916. © Collections BDIC

Vue du cimetière de Ménil-sur-Belville, 1920. © CIL/Collection JM Picquart

Tombes du commandant Baille et des lieutenants Rochet et Simyan du 157e RI à Ménil-sur-Belvitte. © ECPAD
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