LDoes the name of Lucien Henri Clongue y Villar mean nothing to you? Yet he is a hero, one of those millions of anonymous people who died for France (1). Unfortunately, he is missing from the Mont-de-Marsan war memorial. An anomaly that must be corrected shortly.
It was at Le Moun, on November 7, 1931, that Lucien Couverture was born. The wounds of the First World War have not yet healed; his mother, of German origin, therefore had her name Frenchified before meeting a Spaniard, Mr. Villar, who recognized the child, hence the surname Couverture y Villar. The blended family lives in Laluque then leaves for Algeria. Lucien then joined the Foreign Legion during the Indochina War. Appointed corporal within the 2e foreign paratrooper battalion despite his young age, he was killed in Diên Bien Phu on April 30, 1954. He was 22 years old. “His body remained there,” breathes Philippe Mailho, general delegate of the Landes du Souvenir français since November 2023.
This story, like there are tens of thousands of others just as tragic in the Landes, is notably thanks to the efforts of Gendarmerie General Alain Buisson, deputy departmental general delegate of the association, that it came to light of oblivion.
Duty accomplished
Among the missions of French Remembrance (read elsewhere), is that of verifying that the names on the war memorials are up to date. Painstaking work, which can sometimes last several months, involves research on several websites, cross-referencing with the registers of different municipalities, birth and death certificates, and work in the field. It also happens that it is families, looking for information, who contact the association. “It’s exciting,” smiles Philippe Mailho, who does not hide the feeling of “great satisfaction” when an omission ends up being corrected. In short, the feeling of duty accomplished. “It’s an opportunity to have a ceremony, to put a family, a village, in the spotlight,” he adds.
Philippe Mailho, general delegate of Souvenir français des Landes.
Matthieu Sartre
In 2024, while this type of updating is ultimately not so common, in addition to Mont-de-Marsan, two other municipalities will see their monuments updated (2): Gamarde-les-Bains and Laluque. In total, almost ten names must be added. So many brave people who will finally have the recognition they deserve.
Monday, November 11, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918, which has become by extension a day of tribute to all those who died for France, the sacrifice of these soldiers will be commemorated in the four corners of France. With a special thought for Lucien Henri Couverture y Villar in the Landes prefecture.
(1) The mention “death for France” is attributed posthumously to the civil registry. For this to happen, the person must have died as a result of an act of war, whether during a conflict or subsequently, as a result of injuries or illnesses contracted in times of war.
(2) Since the law of February 28, 2012, when the mention “death for France” was made on a death certificate, the inscription of the name on the war memorial is obligatory for municipalities.
French Remembrance in brief
Le Souvenir français is the oldest association in France. It was created in 1885 by a teacher of Alsatian origin, Xavier Niessen, after the defeat against Prussia. It has been recognized as being of public utility since 1905.
In addition to the responsibility of keeping the war memorials up to date, its main actions are the maintenance of the graves of soldiers who died for France, particularly when there is no longer a family to take care of them, the transmission to younger generations, for example by helping to finance school memory trips, and, obviously, its participation in patriotic ceremonies.
The Landes delegation is made up of 17 local committees for around 700 members. Please note that the annual departmental congress will take place in Dax on Saturday November 16. Good news: all the lights are green, both in terms of finances and workforce.
