Four months after his death, the memory of the former mayor of L’Etoile is safe

Last August, L’Étoile (Somme) mourned the disappearance of Jacky Hérouart, its former mayor, who was also one of the last living memories of the village.

With his death, a part of the recent history of L’Etoile disappeared: tirelessly, this enthusiast recounted the past of his village, sharing his own memories or the confidences of elders he knew.

According to the wishes of Jacky Hérouart

Author of a monograph devoted to L’Étoile, regular contributor to the reference website created by Ghislain Lancel, Jacky Hérouart had also assembled an impressive collection of documents devoted to local history.

This precious collection could have fallen into oblivion after the death of Jacky Hérouart, if he had not expressed the wish that all of his documents linked to the history of L’Étoile and the industrial heritage of Saint Frères be bequeathed to the Departmental Archives.

In a former 19th century convent

A little more than four months after the death of the former mayor, his widow Micheline and their daughter Valérie, as well as other members of the family and the mayor of L’Étoile Ghislain Tirmarche, were received by the director of the Archives for an exceptional visit.

It is in the heart of Amiens, in a former 19th century convent, that the Somme Departmental Archives are now located.

This is where director Anne Lejeune was able to present the new, recently completed binders to the family.

Another older document was also presented to the family: dating from 1886, it was found by Jacky Hérouart, who donated it to the Archives in 2012. This old register has been completely restored.

A private visit for his widow and daughter

Anne Lejeune thanked Micheline and Valérie Hérouart for having respected the wishes of their husband and father, thereby enriching the archives, and highlighting a whole section of the industrial heritage of the Somme.

After discovering how the reading room works and exploring the basements where the archives are stored, the visitors left, happy to know that the memory of which Jacky Hérouart was the guarantor still lives, well protected.

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