The torch of La Targette

La Targette is a hamlet of the village of Neuville St Vaast. It was held by the Germans until the 9th May 1915 when it finally fell to the French XX Corps.

Neuville St Vaast was totally destroyed by French mining operations against the German positions, artillery fire and the subsequent fighting in its streets.

Two things to note if asking for directions: St Vaast (The saint of Arras) is pronounced without the -st so it sounds like vaa. Targette is pronounced Tar-zhette because in French G before E is pronounced as a soft J .

Neuville St Vaast is twinned with the Czech village of Sezemice a 150km to the east of Prague.

The monument was constructed in 1930 and inaugurated on the 20th October 1932. A certain Mr Rafour was the sculpture. The plaque carries verses by Emile Poiteau.

You, the living who pass by this torch, raised above the bloody battlefield, survey this ground replete with graves and think of our dead whose hearts were good.

This unique memorial represents the village device - Resurgam (I will arise) - a torch held aloft from the debris of a house. The rubble is in fact quite real coming from the wreckage of the village. On the wrist is a French Military ID Tag carrying the name of Neuville St Vaast and the date of its liberation, 9 mai 1915.

Directly opposite the monument at the cross roads on the main road is a very good museum with two floors of displays which have been kept in excellent order. There is a parking area behind it off the side road (behind the extension on the left of the photo).

The only cautionary note being that there is not a great deal of explanation, however the museum is open every day from 0900 to 2000. The entrance fee is about 4 Euro.

The same family also run the excellent museum at Notre Dame de Lorette.

Notre Dame de Lorette

The two crosses

Around the Torch two other memorials to individuals have been brought in from the fields on the northern side of the village.

Neither was accessible to the public and were only visible to those who knew where to look. Now they have a fitting place to honour the memory of these two young soldiers.

For five years Lieutenant Henri Millevoye lay here. 74e Régiment d'Infanterie. Died for France on the 25th September 1915.

Born on the 1st February 1881 at Hyères in the Var, Millevoye was conscripted into the Classe of 1901 when conscription was still a village lottery (universal conscription was introduced in 1905).

He was re-buried in the family plot in Abbeville's Cimetière de la Chapelle in 1920.

This is the large communal cemetery which contains an important CWGC Plot. The guardian at the cemetery entrance will be more than pleased to show you the location.

For an explanation of French Conscription follow the link.

French Conscription
Abbeville Cemetery

Here in this place Lieutenant Henry Nouètte-d'Andrezel fell for France on the 25th September 1915. 36e Régiment d'Infanterie. Pray for him.

Born on 10th September 1894 he was in the Classe of 1914 and thus still serving his two years when war broke out.

In memory of Ernest Petit, 1889-1964. Who initiated the reconstruction of a Neuville St Vaast totally devastated during the course of the 1914-18 war. Founded the Invalids' Estate and raised the Flame of Peace. Creator of the village Coat of Arms - Resurgam 9 mai 1915.

The Cité de Mutilés is a group of sixteen houses along the tree lined Rue du 11 novembre just behind the memorial.

When the French war cemeteries were created, disabled veterans were nominated to look after them. However the villages that they were supposed to live in were carcasses and any reconstruction was obviously being carried out by the villagers for their own personal needs.

The guardians and their families had to look out for themselves and often ended up living in pitiable conditions.

At Neuville St Vaast, however, Ernest Petit took it upon himself to create an estate (Cité in French) at the very heart of the battlefield.

Each house was built in a different style and according to the needs of the family. They were all but given away to the new owners for a fifth of their value.

Each house was given the name of a military commander connected to the village : Byng (The Canadians Commander at Vimy), Gouraud, De Maud'hui, Barbot, Mangin, Foch, Joffre, Pétain, Balfourier, Berthelot, Fayolle, De Castelnau, Pouydraguin. One house is called La Madelon and another Oiseau De France which was the name of a clandestine French newspaper.

The 52 trees along the street are in honour of the 52 Neuvillois who died during the war.

Général Louis d'Armau de Pouydraguin lost two of his sons in the fighting for Neuville St Vaast. Augustin was killed on the 9th May 1915, aged 19, and two days later his 25 year old brother, Jacques met the same fate, in the fighting for the cemetery.

They lay side by side in Maroeil French Military Cemetery (Next to which you will find a plot of Northamptonshire Regiment soldiers killed in 1940).

Maroeuil Cemeteries

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Neuville St Vaast