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Origin and history

The monument of the Basques, also known as the memorial of the 36th Infantry Division, is a 14-metre obelisk located in Craonnelle, Aisne, France. It was founded in 1928 and commemorates the 36th Division soldiers, mostly from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Landes, who had fallen during the Chemin des Dames fighting during the First World War. The project, initiated in 1926 by veterans from the south-west, was financed by public subscriptions and Basque, Bearnais and Landes municipalities.

The 36th division, nicknamed the martyr division, took part in key battles such as those on the Hurtebise farm, the California plateau and Craonne, suffering massive losses. In September 1914, she tried to defend the Chemin des Dames, then in May-June 1917, she took the California plateau before being decimated by a German counterattack. The monument, designed by architect Mathieu Forest and sculptor Claude Grange (the same veterans), was inaugurated on September 30, 1928.

The obelisk, made of stone of Souppes-sur-Loing, carries symbolic sculptures: a Basque in traditional costume looking at the battlefield, crowns of laurels engraved with the names of the departments (Basses-Pyrénées, Hautes-Pyrénées, Landes) and regiments (12th RI, 18th RI, etc.), as well as a military helmet that links the battles of division. Restored in 1967, it has been listed as a historical monument since 2003.

The side faces display the monograms of the division and the names of the generals (Lestoquois, Mittelhauser) who commanded the 36th DI. The memorial, owned by the municipality of Craonnelle, stands on the southern edge of the Chemin des Dames, close to the fighting places it honours. Its location, between Hurtebise and Craonne, makes it a major place of memory of the Great War in Aisne.

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