a soldier recognized as having died for France… 91 years after his death

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On the sidelines of the ceremony of the 106th anniversary of the armistice of November 11, 1918 in Delivered-sur-Changeon (Ille-et-Vilaine)a very special tribute was paid to Paul Régnault recently recognized as “Death for France”… 91 years after his death.

The official commemoration of the armistice of November 11 took place, as every year, in front of the war memorial of Delivered-on-Changeon.

After the laying of a wreath at the foot of the monument, the raising of colors and the official anthems, messages from Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces and Jean-Louis Thieriot, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans were read by Emmanuel Fraud, mayor of the town and Roland Barbot, president of the UNC of Delivered-on-Changeon.

Three grandsons present

It was then that an unusual ceremony followed: a tribute to Paul Régnault. He was born on April 3, 1897 in Delivered-on-Changeon.

Mobilized in August 1914 at the age of 17, he left for the army in 1916 and was wounded twice, in 1917 and 1918, including a skull injury.

He was rewarded with a citation to the order of the regiment as a “devoted and conscientious soldier”.

On his return, he married Exupère Bordier on June 9, 1920. Died on June 26, 1933 at the age of 36, he left his wife with 6 children, from a year and a half to 12 years old.

The Court of Rennes ruled, on March 12, 1935, that his death, which occurred well after the conflict, was attributable to an act of war, that his widow should receive a permanent pension and that his minor children were wards of the nation. However, he had never been recognized as “died for France”.

The oversight has just been repaired: a file for the award of the “death for France” designation was submitted at the beginning of 2024 to theNational Office for Combatants and War Victims.

After receiving a favorable response, his name was engraved on the Livré-sur-Changeon war memorial alongside those of his comrades, to the great satisfaction of his descendants.

Monday November 11Paul, Georges and Marcel, the three eldest of his grandchildren, laid a wreath of flowers in his memory.

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