Grignan

On August 22, 1944, a German rear-guard executed seven men, an FFI (French Interior Forces) soldier, a civilian refugee from Nîmes and five FFI resistants. A year later on August 22, 1945, the town of Grignan put up on the spot the stone marker of Pommier in honor of the seven, with a marble plaque on which can be read the following engravings: "Grignan / To those who fell / Here on August 22, 1944 / So that France might be born again free." There follow the names of the six combattants, under the title FFI: (BENOIT Aimé Paul, CHAIX André, DEYDIER Gabriel, GENTILI Jean, MONIER Robert, BARSAMIAN Jean) with their respective town names, then the civilian (MARTIN Paul). Below is engraved: "Frenchmen: Remember!" and at the base of the marker "Erected August 22, 1945 - 1st Anniversary". On the low wall behind on either side of the marker are two plaques; the one on the right bears a copy of General de Gaulle's call of June 1940; the one on the left says "Crossroads of August 22, 1944 Morvan Maquis".

The monument is by itself by the road, at the crossroads of départementale road 4, a rural lane and village road 3. It is made up of a low retaining wall of cinder blocks and a vertical limestone marker on two steps with flat wings on either side; it is topped with a cornice and a rounded pediment with beveled corners, with the initials RF (République Française) in flat-plane. A veined grey marble plaque is bolted to the marker, engraved with the commemorative inscriptions and the names of the executed; two Lorraine crosses frame the top of the inscription. Behind the monument on the stucco wall, are two small enameled metal plaques. 

© Inventaire général du patrimoine culturel, Région Rhône-Alpes

Source: http://www2.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/merimee_fr?ACTION=RETROUVER&FIELD_98=AIRE&VALUE_98=Grignan&NUMBER=75&GRP=0&REQ=%28%28Grignan%29%20%3AAIRE%20%29&USRNAME=nobody&USRPWD=4%24%2534P&SPEC=3&SYN=1&IMLY=&MAX1=1&MAX2=100&MAX3=100&DOM=Tous