While I now know this is not a recent event, the fine and imposing Monument des crapouillots at Laffaux is no more. This huge structure, which took the form of a French trench mortar bomb and commemorated the trench mortar service of the French army, was originally erected in the 1930s and damaged in fighting in June 1940. It was repaired post-war, and what appears to have finished it now was freak weather. I was last there in 2007, and that's when it appears to have happened. There is more on this thread on the excellent French WW1 Forum:

http://pages14-18.mesdiscussions.net/pages...sujet_289_1.htm

This was the monument in full glory:



Close up of detail:

This was the same memorial - or what is left - last week:



Does anyone know if the remains have been stored, and if there are plans to rebuild it?

Hi Paul

Is the whole thing now gone? I see on the French Forum the argument was how cash could be raised to repair it again. Was nothing done and have they now pulled the remains down? I was there a long time ago and it is (was) and imposing monument. It makes you fear a little for others around France (and elsewhere) if one such as this can be allowed to disappear.

Jim

Sorry Paul, you answered before I could ask the question!! Thanks for the information although you ask the question I would then have asked.

Jim

Oh my goodness. You're right, Paul, that was a very imposing and important memorial. What a shame. Are the nearby graves affected? They were looking pretty neglected and shabby last time I was down that way.

Chris, no the graves and nearby bunker are still there, but equally shabby. If you have not visited the area for a year or two then you would recognise the place, as a new road between Laon and Soissons has been built. This was it being put in back in 2006. This was taken just in front of the graves/memorials.

Oh my Gawd. As far as the memorial is concerned I would have thought it would have been of A1 interest to the WFA Memorials Officer. In my mind the saving of memorials such as this is much more important than supporting the erection of new memorials to British battalions.

Chris,

I think You have a point there.

Cnock

Fingers crossed, when I say the Moulin de Laffaux will soon re-appear. It was hit by lightning in June 2008. It was so unsafe it had to be taken down to the base and stored. The French equivalent of our Western Front are trying to raise 100,000 Euros. This will repair and re-site it. It is proposed to move it just a little, bearing in mind the new road isolated it a bit.
Regards Mike Jones

That's good news, but what is the French equivalent to the WFA? And have they contacted the actual WFA for a donation? I would hope they would make one?

Hello Paul,
This is just an interim reply, till I can get more details. Whilst I am a regular visitor to this area, my French is almost zero. My friend has all the high level connections but will not come on any Forum. Soon he will ring his friend, the President of the Chemin des Dames Association and get the full monty.
Regards Mike Jones

Ok, thanks. Look forward to hearing more.

I have been informed by Colonel Tyran that two brothers named Masseti (I am not sure of the spelling of their name) who own a quarry and Construction Company and who are also leading members of the Association of the Chemin de Dames are donating the stone and have offered to help rebuild the monument on the original base. The base will remain at its normal site and be re landscaped. I understand that some money should be forthcoming from the Department of l'Aisne but I believe donations would be gratefully received from any other sources if offered.
The date of work commencement has not yet been decided so if any members can organise donations from the W.F.A. I will find out the who the organisers are in France so that you can contact them. Colonel Tyran is writing to me with more information about the Crapouillet memorial and also work proposed on the Large Memorial Cross a couple of miles further up the road towards Laon. This is made of concrete and is deteriorating fast due to its age and winter weather over the last 80 years.
D. Sims.

Thanks for that - good to see it hasn't gone forever.

Hello Paul,
You have tempted my friend Derek to speak on theForum. I do not want to flog the thread to death but... there is the chance to get various French and British associations talking. Colonel Tyran (French Army, retired) was very surprised and pleasantly pleased that Brits knew of and were interested in the fate of a less well known French Memorial. Any thoughts on how we can connect the two? If we show genuine concern and aid the repair of a French Memorial. I would think and hope our Memorials would be in a better position. If you get my drift.
On another front, I think the French Artillerymen (R.I.P above) organised that bolt of lightning as they want the Memorial moved to a better location.
Regards Mike Jones

Some ideas

1. Contact Hilary Wheeler, the Memorials Officer of the WFA. I expect her contact details are on WFA website.

2. Contact the Royal Artillery, perhaps via Firepower! Museum, and see if they would offer some support.

3. Organise a Great War Forum donation.

Just on an art history note ... it might be well worth taking this beyond the framework of WW1 enthusiasts/Commemoration Committees etc.

I've never seen this thing before and I was blown away (if you don't mind the pun) by its design ethos. It says nearly everything possible about the changed nature of war. It's industrial. It's deliberately industrial. It is (one imagines) a pretty much perfect reflection of how some artists wanted to reflect the techno-war aspects of the conflict. I bet the Russian monument designers had a good decko at this superbly monstrous/unromantic monument when they started to cjip away at a few stones for Mr. Stalin.

Hi Mike,

I would go with Chris' suggestion to contact the WFA. I am just an ordinary member of the WFA, so I cannot speak for the association, but I would hope an organisation like the WFA would get involved in a project like this, for the reasons you suggest.

So to that end I have flagged up this thread on the WFA Forum.

I received a letter from my friend Colonel Tyran this morning and he has confirmed that " The Memorial is soon to be completely repaired, as identical, with help from Conseil General, the Souvenir Francais and the Ancien Combattants".
I would imagine that this means the Memorial will be back in time for Summer or knowing the French it will probably be rededicated on the 11th hour of the 11th Day of November ( 90th anniversery). If I hear any more news I will keep you posted.
With regards to the Western Front I hope they will contact the above mentioned organisations, as any interest shown by them would be appreciated and who knows it could lead to a free flow of information and cooperation which would be beneficial to all.
The Souvenir Francais and also the Ancien Combattants both have Web Sites if you wish to look them up. The Conseil General mentioned by Colonel Tyran is probably the the "Conseil General de L'Aisne", Rue Paul Doumer, Laon. A useful contact there on the 1914-1918 war is Mr Guy Marival on gmarival@cg02.fr He has a web site with English translation called "Chemin de Dames"
regards D. Sims

As a result of Paul's post to the WFA Front Forum I have dropped an email to Hilary.

She can be contacted directly via the WFA website if you wish to add your own message.

WFA Trustees

Kind regards

David

I received an email from Mr Guy Marival who has informed me that he has now retired and his successor is Mr Damien Becquart.
The information on th email is:-The Monument des Crapouillots was destroyed on 7th June 2007 by thunder.
You have more details in La Lettre du Chemin des Dames nr. 11 (June 2007), page 6 and in our website www.chemindesdames.fr
As a property of the association Souvenir français, it was in the following months first entirely down, stone by stone.
There is now a poject of rebuilding, in a "Garden of Remembrance" near the Moulin de Laffaux area, with others small monuments.
For more information, you can contact the chairman of Souvenir Français in Département Aisne : Mr Dominique Compra Rue de Rogécourt 02800 DANIZY (Phone : 03 23 56 26 60) and at the Conseil général Damien Becquart who is now responsible for the Chemin des Dames area (e-mail : chemindesdames@cg02.fr).
Sincerely
Guy Marival

any more news re memorial? i see that hilary has messaged Paul re this, but is no longer a member of the forum, but i'm sure you could contact her via the association anyway. Agree with Chris Baker on this, this needs to be brought to a wider audience and this should be more of a priorty than new memorials. Have also contacted the chirman of the WFA about this. PM me if you feel the need to
personally i feal this is far too important just to slip by

matt