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Tag Archives: World War II
A Local WWII Resistance Group: Update
Today, the causse above the riverside village of Cazals is a tranquil place with superb views of the Gorges de l’Aveyron. It’s covered with juniper and scrub oak and the only sounds are birdsong or the occasional whirr of … Continue reading
A Little-Known World War II Incident: the Croat Mutiny in Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Our local Médiathèque (library) is a hive of literary activity. In addition to the literary festival that takes place every October, there’s a series of author talks throughout the year. On Saturday, we heard Adrian Weale, a former UK army … Continue reading
Neither Resisters Nor Collaborators: Returning French STO Workers in 1945
Certain aspects of World War II remain taboo subjects in France, even among people who were not around at the time. For those of us whose country has not been occupied for hundreds of years, it’s difficult to imagine how … Continue reading
Un café, s’il vous plaît
Coffee fuels the French, who have a penchant for strong black espresso-type coffee. Having to use coffee substitutes during World War II must have been a real hardship in that case. A chance remark to that effect during a recent … Continue reading
Posted in Food/drink/recipes, French life
Tagged café culture, cafés, coffee, coffee substitutes, French cafés, French coffee, SW France, World War II
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Death of a Village: Oradour-sur-Glane
I wasn’t sure if I should write about this at all. Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane near Limoges this week, I felt like a voyeur. The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich slaughtered 642 people and torched the village on 10th June 1944, … Continue reading
8th May 1945: End of a War
Today marks the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe [written in 2016]. Last year, we went to the annual ceremony in our village but we couldn’t go this year. This is always a moving event, attended by … Continue reading
Monsieur C – One of a Dying Breed
Today, we visited an elderly farmer neighbour, whose wife is in hospital with respiratory problems. They were the first local French people we met in 1997. Monsieur F has always been difficult to understand because of his strong regional accent … Continue reading
Sheltering Jews in SW France During World War II
Today, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by Soviet troops. The unspeakable horror of these places has been described in memoirs and contemporary film footage. But very few survivors remain and it is … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, World War I & II
Tagged Auschwitz, Deportation of Jews, German occupation of France, Holocaust, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Liberation of Auschwitz, Moissac, Montauban, Righteous Among the Nations, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne, Vichy France, World War II
12 Comments
Bordeaux #2: Sustenance for Body and Soul
Our mouths watered as we strolled past the displays of fish, fresh produce and pâtisserie at the Quai des Chartrons market. The air rang with the raucous cries of the fishmongers as they broadcast their wares, while wielding filleting … Continue reading
The Liberation of Montauban, 19th August 1944
This is a year for commemorations in France. The most obvious is the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I on 4th August. It’s also the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the eventual liberation of … Continue reading
Every Château Has a Story: #1 Le Château de Cas
Châteaux, large and small, have played an integral part in the history of France. Some have been at the centre of national events; others have been less affected by them, but nonetheless have a story to tell. This is the … Continue reading
Unexpected Finds About World War II at a Vide-Greniers
It’s that time of year again. You only have to park the car for five minutes and you find your windscreen bristling with flyers for vide-greniers (jumble sales). Around here, there’s at least one a week for the foreseeable future. … Continue reading
The Spanish Cemetery at Septfonds: a Moving Monument
Returning from an airport run yesterday, I decided to stop off at the village of Septfonds. I wanted to visit the Spanish Cemetery, one of my 10 things to do in SW France this year. There’s a poignant history connected … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, World War I & II
Tagged Cimetière Espagnol, Deportation, Final Solution, Internment, Septfonds, Spanish Civil War, World War II
11 Comments
A Story of the French Resistance during World War II
This week, during our walk with our local group we took a route that we had never followed before. At once point we crossed a road and came upon the granite monument above, which marks the spot where a local … Continue reading
When the Mona Lisa Smiled on the Aveyron
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Now permanently exhibited in the Louvre in Paris, it is probably one of the best travelled as well. It even had a brief sojourn in southwest … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, French life, History, Places, World War I & II
Tagged Abbaye de Loc-Dieu, Aveyron, France, La Joconde, Leonard Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, Montauban, Musée du Louvre, Musée Ingres, SW France, World War II
10 Comments
Favourite French Films # 1 Le Vieux Fusil
I am not a great devotee of French film. I find it either self-consciously existentialist or self-conscious full stop. However appealing Audrey Tautou might be, I found ‘Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain’ desperately irritating and had to switch off after 10 … Continue reading
Posted in French life, History, Personalities, Places, World War I & II
Tagged Bruniquel, Das Reich, Film, France, French film, Le Vieux Fusil, living in France, Philippe Noiret, Romy Schneider, SW France, World War II
13 Comments
A dying breed
The stereotyped vision of a French peasant is of an old man wearing a beret with a Gitane permanently screwed into the corner of his mouth, riding a bicycle or driving a rusting 2CV. These days, they mostly drive air-conditioned tractors … Continue reading
Posted in French life, History, Personalities, World War I & II
Tagged blogs about France, farmers, France, nostalgia, rural life, World War II
5 Comments
