Ceremony of 9 June
Louisa Paulin Street, at the beginning of which stands the stele bearing her name, is not directly connected to the tragedy of Tulle.
Louisa Paulin, born on 2 December 1888 in the Tarn, died on 23 April 1944 in Réalmont, her hometown. She was a writer, poet, and teacher of physical education at the Enseignement Primaire Supérieur, holding a post in Tulle until her return to the Tarn in 1930.
This stele symbolizes and embodies the martyrs’ district, as it stands approximately between the starting and ending points of the hangings of the victims.
That is why, after gathering under the covered market, the people of Tulle proceed to the Louisa Paulin Stele, where at 5 p.m. the traditional and solemn ceremonies of 9 June begin.
A protocol line is formed (P1), where the various authorities pay tribute by laying several wreaths. These gestures of respect and remembrance symbolize the living memory of past sacrifices.
Thus, after the wreath-laying by Bernard Combes (P2) and by François Hollande, Member of Parliament for Corrèze (P3), the public witnessed the wreath-laying by Mr. Georges Cueille, 98 years old, the last survivor of the arbitrary selection carried out by the SS at the Tulle Arms Factory, accompanied by Mr. Alain Peuch, Secretary of the Comité des Martyrs (P4).
In photo 5, Messrs. Cueille and Peuch are seen paying their respects at the foot of the stele.
Afterwards, a wreath was laid by the Prefect of Corrèze, Mr. Vincent Berton (P6).
