The Nazdar Necropolis

On the 10th anniversary of the battle of Artois, the Association of Czechoslovak Volunteers in France (“Association des Volontaires Tchécoslovaques en France”) decided to erect a monument in memory of all the Czechs and Slovaks who fell during the First World War. This monument, the work of sculptor Jaroslav Hrũska, was officially inaugurated on Sunday 31 May 1925. The members of the association raised the funds for its creation by selling postcards in the cities and towns of Czechoslovakia and to their compatriots exiled all over the world. Financial support was also granted by the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry and by the resistance memorial in Prague. As the site started to become a place of pilgrimage, a cemetery gradually became necessary. However, the exhumation work to collect the remains of all Czechoslovak soldiers buried in different parts of France was interrupted by the Second World War. In 1958, the Association of Czechoslovak Volunteers succeeded in completing work on the cemetery, with the reburial of 206 fighters who had initially been laid to rest in 73 military cemeteries and in scattered municipal cemeteries in 38 French départements. This new memorial site was officially inaugurated on 19 May 1963. The last remains were transferred in 1970.

A copy of a “Cross of Bohemia” was erected in the centre of the future cemetery, as a symbolic reminder of the death of the King of Bohemia, John I of Luxembourg, who was killed in 1346 at the battle of Crécy, fighting alongside the King of France. In 1938, 24 lime-trees were brought from the Czechoslovak Republic and planted in the cemetery.

For the 50th anniversary of the creation of Czechoslovakia, a memorial was built to commemorate the victims of the two world wars. Funds were collected from all over the world. The work of architect Bernard Heger and sculptor Ṧumova, this monument was inaugurated in May 1968.

Czech volunteers in the First World War

The members of the “Colonie Tchécoslovaque” and the “Sokol” and “Egalité” organizations enlisted voluntarily with the French forces and made the ultimate sacrifice, guided by their determination to destroy the Austro-Hungarian Empire and create an independent Czech state. After training in Bayonne, the first 250 volunteers were incorporated in the 1st march regiment of the French Foreign Legion. This first unit received its emblem in December 1914 and was named the “Nazdar” Company, after the traditional greeting of the members of Sokol. After a stint in the Champagne area, the unit fought alongside the Moroccan Division at Viny (May 1915).

In 1917, Edvard Benès, with the agreement of the French government, was able to establish an independent Czechoslovak army. Almost 2000 volunteers were brought to Cognac for training and were then sent to join the fighting in May 1918 in Vouziers. As part of the Gourand army, they took part in all the major phases of the liberation of France.

The Nazdar site, an emblematic location for Czechoslovak remembrance in France

As a place of remembrance, like Darney, Vouziers, Cernay and the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, the La Targette site is testimony to Czechoslovakia’s fight for independence and its struggle against the Nazi yoke. At the entrance to the cemetery is a monument commemorating the standard bearer Karel Bezdicek, killed on the first day of the battle in May 1915. He symbolizes the first free Czech soldier to bear the emblem of the Czech lion.

Opposite this monument is the Cross of the Polish volunteers, erected with the funds of the Polish citizens of Pas-de-Calais to pay tribute to those “fallen for the resurrection of Poland and the victory of France". Destroyed in 1940, damaged by a storm in 1967, this monument has risen again each time. It continues to bear the motto of these volunteers: “Za nasza wolnosc i wasza”, “For our freedom and yours”.

Three marble plaques bear inscriptions dedicated to the sacrifice of the Romanian prisoners: the first one referring to the agony suffered by all the prisoners, who died of “hunger, destitution and torture”, the second one to the tremendous work done by the Romanian monuments committee in Alsace, tasked in 1919 with bringing together the graves dispersed throughout the towns and villages of Alsace, and the third one bearing Queen Mary’s inscription honouring the memory of those who “far from your country for which you sacrificed yourselves, rest in glory”.

Today, the bodies of three thousand Romanians still rest in several national necropolises such as Strasbourg-Cronenbourg (Bas-Rhin), Effry (Aisne), Hirson (Aisne) and Dieuze (Moselle).

Apart from soldier Louis Darbas, they all died on 12 March 1918 during the explosion of an ammunition depot at the Bernagousse quarry. Among the others, Jean-Baptiste Monnery and Jean Cros were stretcher bearers at the infirmary set up nearby, some remains of which still exist today, with the inscription "Infirmerie Bonnery - Chavart; 215 RI (infantry regiment) who died for France".

Today, this national cemetery holds the bodies of 2 053 French soldiers, 2 037 of whom lie in individual graves. A collective grave brings together the remains of 16 soldiers. Alongside them lies one Russian, but also 201 Germans, including 31 in an ossuary. This cemetery comprises three plots: the 1914-1918 French plot, the 1914-1918 French Muslim plot, and the 1939-1945 French plot that contains 917 soldiers and resistance fighters from the Nord region and 14 Spaniards posted to workers' companies. A British military cemetery bringing together 177 bodies adjoins the Zuydcoote cemetery.

In August 1915, after having lost contact with his unit, the soldier Victor Schmitt was picked up by the 147th Infantry Regiment (RI). Tried and convicted for abandonment of his post in the face of the enemy, he was executed by firing squad as an example, in Florent-en-Argonne at the age of 34.

Within the national war cemetery rest the remains of Louis-François Lepenant. A native of La Mancha, he served with the 25th Infantry Regiment, with whom he fought at the Battle of the Marne, then in Artois. In July 2015, during a violent bombardment, he lost his nerve and left the front line. Considered a deserter, he rejoined his regiment where he had to stand trial.  Following a special council of war, he was executed by firing squad at Moiremont. His body lies in grave 1758.

In the communal cemetery of Florent-en-Argonne are the bodies of three men shot as an example, the soldiers Séverin Maurice who died on 24 October 1914, Benoît Louis who died on 4 October 1915 and whose name is inscribed on the Salviac (46) memorial, and Marcel Painsant who died on 21 December 1915.

Thanks to the commitment and determination of many people, this monument, built of stone from the same quarry as that used to build the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was erected in just six months and brought here by river and then transported along two completely ruined highways. On 3 November 1920, attended by Mr and Mrs Farnsworth, the ossuary-monument, designed by architect Alexandre Marcel, was consecrated by the Bishop of Chalons, Monsignor Tissier. Two black marble plaques commemorate the sacrifice made by the Legionnaires who enlisted to defend Republican values.

The Sir John Monash Centre, named after one of the most respected Australian generals of the First World War, was built on the site of the battle of Villers-Bretonneux (1918), a significant battle in which Australian soldiers played an important role. The Centre is located behind the Australian National Memorial and is adjacent the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, in which over 2,000 Commonwealth soldiers are buried. The Memorial, inaugurated in 1938, commemorates close to 11,000 Australian soldiers who died on the Western Front in France and have no known grave.

Upon arrival to the site, visitors are invited to connect to the SJMC Wi-Fi, download the SJMC App on their smartphones and connect their earphones. The App (available in French, English and German) acts as a ‘virtual and personal tour guide’ through the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, the Australian National Memorial and the Sir John Monash Centre.

This technology allows visitors to discover the stories of Australian soldiers buried in the cemetery or commemorated on the Memorial. The app also offers a 360° panorama from the Memorial’s tower to explore the Somme Valley and learn more about its history during the war.

Inside the Sir John Monash Centre, visitors are invited to follow the journey taken by Australians during the War - from Australia before the war, to the harsh introduction to the Somme in 1916, and finally to their finest achievements in 1918. It culminates with their return to Australia, a country irrevocably changed by the War despite its distance from the actual battlefield. Visitors learn about the Australians’ experiences in their own words through letters, diaries, life-size images and the use of new and archival footage, animation, maps and soundscapes.

At the centre of the experience is an immersive gallery, which takes visitors on an emotional and educational journey to the heart of the battles of Villers-Bretonneux and Le Hamel.

A visit to the Sir John Monash Centre provides an enhanced understanding of the Australian experience on the Western Front, and the impact and loss suffered by a young nation.

Commemorative service: Alongside British and French troops, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April. That fateful day marked the beginning of an eight-month campaign that claimed tens of thousands of lives, including over 8,000 Australians.

A year later, 25 April was officially named "Anzac Day" when Australia, New Zealand and troops in Egypt celebrated the anniversary of the landing.

In remembrance of those who served during the Great War and more recent wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, Anzac Day ceremonies are held around the world each year. An Anzac Day Dawn service is held at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, near Amiens. It takes place on the site of an intense battle in 1918 where, from early April, Australian units helped defend Villers-Bretonneux during the German spring offensive.

Education program : To make the most of their visit to the Sir John Monash Centre, teachers are encouraged to book a hands-on activities workshop for their students. The Centre offers a wide range of activities for all ages as well as tailored hands-on activities to suit students’ interests and meet curriculum objectives.

As they uncover the true story of Valentine Rochfort through objects he would have been familiar with, students immerse themselves in the Australian experience of the Western Front.

For more information : https://sjmc.gov.au/education/experience/

Sources : Centre Sir John Monash - Crédits photos : ©SJMC

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The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is over a century old. For the first time, visitors can take a look behind the scenes at the work that is needed to commemorate the 1.7 million Commonwealth casualties from the First and Second World Wars.

The CWGC Experience is a unique new visitor attraction that shines a light on the work of the remarkable organisation at the heart of remembrance of the war dead.

Our free audio guide will walk you through each aspect of the work we do: from the story of how we still recover and rebury the dead today, to the skilled artisan craftsmen at work maintaining the world’s most impressive and recognisable monuments and memorials, a trip to the battlefields of the Western Front is not complete without a visit to the CWGC Experience.

Sources : ©The CWGC Experience