Monday 8 January 2007

Resistance Heros.

Looking down the arcades leading to Place Massena.
There are two of these memorials, one on each side of the road. You can see them more clearly on this site along with the inscription in French.
In English it reads:

Ange Grassi,
Franc Tireur i.e. a left wing resistance group
French Partisan
Member of the Forces Francaises de L'Interieur
Was hanged here on the 7th July, 1944 and his body exposed
For having resisted the Nazi (Hitlerien) oppressor.
The second one is dedicated to Seraphin Torre with similar wording.


Nice saw plenty of Resistance activity during the Second World War and the enigmatic Jean Moulin (hero or double agent?) lived here for a while.
These memorials can be found all over this part of France and are a moving testimony to the courage of those who fought against oppression.

3 comments:

Chris said...

No doubt : Jean Moulin is a Hero.


http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Moulin
en français

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Moulin
English

Astrid said...

I like your new site and your informative posts =)

Astrid

Anonymous said...

I have a photo of the exact same monument shot before dawn by the light of a fire truck one July morning in 1985. I have always liked the photo but only had an inkling as to what it says. Thanks for helping solve the mystery. Let me know if you'd like to see the photo. Fred in Houston, freddymail@sbcglobal.net