As early as 1919, when a law on the “commemoration and glorification of the dead for France during the Great War” was passed (25 October 1919), which established the principle of a public subsidy, the first appeared; on 31 January 1920 a finance law laid down the terms and conditions, and on 24 October 1922, 11 November was declared a national holiday.
The very original monument erected in the public garden is part of the national movement that saw the birth of these monuments. Not without some amazing episodes as Pierre Lemaitre narrated in Au revoir là-haut who won the Goncourt prize in 2003.
The Departmental Archives in Agen hold a precious document: a school notebook containing the minutes of the meetings of the “organising committee set up to erect a monument in memory of the soldiers of Clairac, victims of the war.” The first meeting was held on October 3, 1919, one year after the armistice, a few days before the first memorial law. It was attended by Arthur Pauvif, mayor, councillors Bitaubé, Delon and Noguès, Édouard Delpech, owner, Victor Durand, building contractor, Sagrini, landowner, and Salavoine, under-secretary at the town hall. Note the presence of Édouard, Eugène's brother… Let us listen to the words of the mayor who explains “comment est née à Clairac, comme d’ailleurs dans le reste du pays, l’idée de rendre à ceux qui ont payé du sacrifice de leur vie la rançon en quelque manière de ceux qui demeurent un pieux hommage de reconnaissance par l’érection d’un monument commémoratif.”
The location is put to the vote: at the entrance to the cemetery, in the public garden, Place Viçose: the garden wins with 7 votes. It was then decided to summon Mr Laffitte, a retired teacher and painter, and Mr Eugène Delpech, a landowner and sculptor, to take their opinions. Delpech was chosen for the design of the monument, which would be carried out by the contractors Durand Frères. Mr. Sagrini, for his part, will agree with the “demoiselles quêteuses” for the subscription which will be launched, accompanied by a vin d'honneur. The date has been set for October 26; here is the programme:
- Reach the procession at the site of the projected monument,
- Spoken poetry from a child at school,
- Possible speech from a representative of a cult,
- Spoken poetry from a child at school,
- Possible speech from a representative of the other cult,
- Mayor's speech,
- Reading the ranks, names and surnames of the dead and missing in chronological order by a cripple,
- Chorus by the Free School students,
- Lottery between the poilus in the Council Chamber of a number of lots of objects forming the remainder,
- Vin d'honneur to them in the Claverie Room. The “poilus” and subscribers being the only ones admitted (with permissionaries).
At the inauguration in 1922, the Clairacais discovered a monument that was very different from the brave, hairy bronze monuments that flooded France: they first recognized the young Aimé Constiaux (who died in 1985), looking up at his elder sister, Blanche, who was holding the Golden Book of the Great War in her hands. Both are the children of Adrien Constiaux, who held the post of train guard near Fontaine, where Eugène Delpech lived. At the base of the monument, a phrase in patois: N’oublides pas, Pichiou, lous que soun mors per la Patriou – 1918 (Don't forget, kid, those who died for the fatherland). The blonde stone sculpture is placed on a stone base, in the heart of a stone exedra from Tabor. Marble plaques quote the 107 Clairacais who died for France”. Its inscription as a historical monument in October 2014 underlines its unique quality.
This monument is one of the three that have been erected at Clairac: there is also one in the Catholic church, and another in the Protestant temple. A close examination of the three lists holds a few surprises that will be revealed in the book currently being written by Laurent Guillemot, a member of the Société des amis de Clairac, which will recall the story of these unwitting heroes of a world drama.
It is not possible to evoke this monument without commenting on the one he had sculpted in 1913, in memory of Father Lanusse, former military chaplain of Saint-Cyr – from which Delpech came – a native of Tonneins. Clairac is fortunate enough to keep in the town hall a plaster sketch of this work as well as several other works by the artist, bequeathed by his widow.
Those who would like to know more about the war memorials erected in France and Belgium can refer to the database created by the University of Lille III on the occasion of the centenary of the First World War: click here.
Eugène Delpech (1854-1934), former captain in the 4th regiment of Hunters on Horseback (resigned in 1891) was a sculptor, pupil of Antonin Carlès. Working in terracotta as well as in stone or marble, he had a fine career as an artist, exhibiting regularly at the Salon des artistes français. Son of Adolphe Delpech, mayor of Clairac from 1854 to 1871, he married Isabelle Imer, of Swiss origin, in Marseille in February 1884. Born in Clairac, he lived in the Fontaine estate, which he had bought from the Boissy-Dubois family. They had two daughters, the eldest of whom, Claude, died before adolescence: he sculpted her effigy for the family cemetery. The second, Daisy, married Grégoire Feyguine in 1927.
