Dear friends,
Like every June 9th, this year, a large crowd paid tribute to our martyrs at the Haut lieu de Cueille. The people of Tulle do not forget.
Your Board of Directors has written to the President of the Republic, François Hollande, to remind him of two of our longstanding demands:
- The expansion of the Cueille site;
- The creation of the Museum of Memory and Tulle Industries.
On June 9th, we gather tightly on this cramped ground where organizing the ceremony and finding solace are always challenging. The museum has been promised for a long time but postponed due to financial reasons. We have asked the President to intervene with the relevant authorities. Some promising responses have been given to us, and it’s up to us to make them come to fruition.
Seventy years ago, the survivors of Nazi death camps reunited with their families. They left behind many companions of misery, victims of the atrocities inflicted by their tormentors. Here in Tulle, on June 9, 1944, 149 men were loaded onto trains bound for Germany. Only 48 returned, and in what condition! The unfortunate others were added to the long list of 99 tortured by the dreaded “Das-Reich”.
Our families, deeply affected, came together within the Martyrs Committee. They wanted to share their pain, understand how such a tragedy could happen, and finally try to bring the murderers to justice.
At the initiative of Antoine Soulier, a pledge was made to gather every June 9th, in procession, starting at 5 p.m., at the high place of Cueille. It was respected. Unfortunately, each year time takes away the oldest among us, affected by age or illness.
Some of us, touched by the loss of a loved one, have long harbored very harsh, yet legitimate, feelings towards Germany. Fortunately, relations have improved with our neighbors across the Rhine in recent decades. This people too was held hostage by the Nazi regime.
The “Song of the Marshes,” sung during our ceremonies, was created by Germans interned in camps in 1933.
During the last war, trains rushed towards Germany and its Nazi concentration camps, crowded with human cattle. Today, new trains still rush towards Germany, but loaded with refugees fleeing war in the Middle East. The Nazis have been replaced by humanitarians!
The history of the world continues. France is preparing to welcome a certain number of these unfortunate people who have left everything behind. Let us remember the sad period of defeat in 1940 when our compatriots from the north of the country fled on the roads to escape the advance of Hitler’s troops. Don’t you think we can welcome them with dignity?
The President,
Michel Drelon