Monument du Souvenir Français

The Monument of the French Remembrance is opposite the Monument of the Burghers of Calais and the Town Hall. Its creation was supported by the Souvenir Français. Its mission is to safeguard the Memory of the Soldiers who fell for France. In 1899, a subscription was opened in Calais, "with the aim of erecting a monument in memory of the children of the canton of Calais who fell on the battlefields defending the French flag." 

It was difficult to find a location to erect this monument. Calais and Saint-Pierre had merged (1885), new buildings were planned. The lace industry was also very present in the old Saint-Pierre. Several sites were mentioned, an uncertainty that dragged out the project. The decision was made in 1902, it would be at the entrance to a public garden, the current Saint Pierre park. But at that time, the Monument du Souvenir français was facing a vacant lot: the Town Hall had not yet been built and the Monument des Bourgeois de Calais was in another place in the city. 

Inaugurated in 1904, the work of sculptor Edouard Maugendre-Villers is both imposing and expressive in its details. The stone pedestal is decorated with funeral wreaths recalling his memorial desire. On its faces are engraved the names of the soldiers who died during the colonial wars and those of 1870-1871. On the sides, two bronze bas-reliefs illustrate Duty and Humanity. On the main face, a female figure represents Valour, leaning on the coat of arms of the city of Calais. At the top, the sculpture of Captain Dutertre receives a laurel wreath from Glory.   

Who is he? Hippolyte Dutertre was born in 1807 in Coulogne, south of Calais. A graduate of Saint-Cyr, he was destined for a military career. He joined the 1st Battalion of Chasseurs à pied d'Orléans and embarked for Algeria in 1841. There he distinguished himself and became a Knight of the Legion of Honor. During the Battle of Sidi Brahim (1845), he was taken prisoner by Abd-El-Khader. He was taken before his men who were still fighting, to force them to surrender. Dutertre shouted "Comrades, defend yourselves to the death", he was beheaded on the spot.