Military Burials Act 1920 (≈ 1920)
Authorize repatriation of soldiers' bodies.
mai 1922
Approval of the initial draft
Approval of the initial draft mai 1922 (≈ 1922)
Designed by Fidele Lhermitte, architect.
31 mars 2022
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 31 mars 2022 (≈ 2022)
Total protection of the monument and crypt.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The monument and crypt to the dead in full. The whole is located in Leclerc Cemetery, 116 rue du Général-Leclerc, on Parcel No.86, in the cadastre section AP: inscription by order of 31 March 2022
Key figures
Fidèle Lhermitte - Initial architect
Author of the project approved in 1922.
Alexandre Walare - Successor architect
Finish the monument and build the garden.
Jean Gaudin - Master Glass and Musaist
Realizes the wall decor of the crypt.
Origin and history
The monument and crypt to the dead of Loos, built in the 1st quarter of the 20th century, commemorates the losses of the First World War. It consists of a surface granite obelisk and an underground crypt serving as a military square, where 133 repatriated soldiers lie at the request of their families. This project is in the context of the 1920 law, which authorized the repatriation of the bodies of soldiers who died for France, while regrouping the unclaimed in military cemeteries.
The municipality of Loos merged the projects of monument to the dead and crypt, initially entrusting the design to the architect Faithèle Lhermitte in 1922. Disagreements with the mayor and bad manners led to his replacement by Alexander Walare, who finished the monument according to the original plans and built the surrounding garden. The crypt is distinguished by its wall decoration, made by master glassmaker Jean Gaudin, who uses an economical technique of tesseelles inserted in a coating of red cement.
The crypt iconography combines traditional funerary motifs (flags, crosses) and victory symbols (lauriers, palms), also commemorating two civilians shot by the Germans. The central inscription refers to the "dead for the Homeland", including military and civilian, while a pillar bears the names of the unrepatriated soldiers. This monument illustrates the post-Great War debates on collective memory and the treatment of remains.
Ranked a Historic Monument in 2022, the ensemble is located in the Leclerc cemetery of Loos, at 116 rue du Général-Leclerc. It reflects a local desire to reconcile individual tribute and collective memory, in a national context of reconstruction and mourning.
