Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The National Necropolis of Souain, known as the 28th Brigade or Wacques Farm, is a military cemetery of the First World War, located in Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus (Marne, Great East). This 3,340 m2 site, built in 1919, is distinguished by its circular plan inspired by a cromlech, with 179 stone steles arranged in two circles around a central calvary. He welcomed the remains of 147 French soldiers who had fallen during the Champagne fighting, particularly in September 1915.

The initiative of this monument lies with Father Paul Donsoeur, military chaplain of the 35th and 42nd infantry regiments. Between November 1918 and September 1919, he travelled to France with volunteers (including soldiers from the 35th and 4th RI) to identify and protect the bodies of soldiers who died in combat. In Souain, he erected the Calvary of the Wacques in 1919, supported by General Baston of the 14th Infantry Division. The inscription on the Calvary calls on future generations to remember the sacrifice of the combatants.

The site was inaugurated on September 25, 1919, four years after the Champagne offensive. After 1945, two additional monuments were added, dedicated to the 44th and 60th infantry regiments. In 2017, the whole (cimeter and monuments) was classified as a Historical Monument by ministerial decree. Since 2023, the necropolis has been one of the 139 World War I funeral and memorial sites listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside other French and Belgian venues.

Among the 147 soldiers buried are Albert Henri Schürr, the only person explicitly mentioned in the sources. The site, maintained by veterans, Austrian prisoners and Indo-Chinese workers after 1918, symbolizes both the tribute to the dead and the desire for reconciliation. Its unique architecture, combining Christian symbols (calvary) and prehistoric arrangement (cromlech), makes it a landmark of the conflict.

The necropolis is part of a landscape of collective memory, alongside other military cemeteries of the Marne. It illustrates the post-war effort to honour soldiers, often anonymous, and to preserve their memory through permanent arrangements. The text engraved on the Calvary — "Let the younger generations remember the sacrifice of their elders" — summarizes his teaching and commemorative vocation.

External links