War memorials

France: Monument aux Combattants et aux morts de Vauquois

Architect: Monestier
Location: Vauquois

Standing were the village once stood is the Monument aux Combattants et aux morts de Vauquois, a lantern tower, with a relief sculpture of a poilu at the base. The architect was Monestier and the sculptor Marius Roussel. This hill was captured by the Germans in 1914 and partly retaken by the French the following year. For the next three years the front line ran through here while the ground underneath was extensively tunnelled as each of the two opposing armies tried to blow the other up.

Gavin Stamp