The Great Flood

Because we are surrounded by rivers, including major ones like the Creuse, this area has been subject to some significant flooding over the centuries. One such was the flood of 23 June 1848, which prompted Charles Mourault to compose a poem and inscribe it on a stone in a wall overlooking the river at Baratière, a hamlet outside of Yzeures sur Creuse. Here's my rough translation.

 

The Creuse at Baratière.

 

"Here is where the dreaded scourge stopped that God made us go through in these deplorable days. The water rose without end and everyone left their refuge. Which in that moment look like islands. The fertile plain, the most precious treasure, offers us nothing more than the shadow of death. The people gather on this sad shore, lamenting their fate, saying what slavery. The river ressembled the foaming sea which in its expanse had become so threatening. Oh peoples who are the successors of this century may God protect you from such a great misfortune."

 

Flooding like this is relatively rare, but when it comes, causes significant damage. Nowadays the municipalities involved will declare a disaster (Fr. catastrophe) and everyone affected is guaranteed cover by their insurance.

Thanks to Bruno Guitton who showed me the inscription, and to Alain Chartier who sent me a transcription and details of the inscription's date and author.

The Church in Saint Flovier

The 19th century church in the village of Saint Flovier, 15 minutes down the road from us.

Until last week I had never set foot inside the church in Saint Flovier. It is 19th century and I assumed that the interior would be faux medieval wall paintings and saccharine 19th century Madonnas. Well I was right. But the church also has a couple of decent 17-18th century paintings, and some chunky 15th century choir stalls with a range of misericords. There is another, 20th century treasure contained in this church, but I'll write about it another time.

Finial on one of the 15th century choir stalls.

The church was constructed in the 1880s in the Romanesque style. It replaced a 12th century church which was in a poor state of repair and too small. The architect was well known for his historic restorations and came from Paris. Inside notable artists of the day from Tours, Orleans and Paris created the decoration, including stained glass from the workshop of Luc Fournier in Tours. The paintings from the old church were transferred to the new one.

Finial on one of the 15th century choir stalls.

The 15th century oak choir stalls had come from the old abbey church in Beaulieu les Loches which had been destroyed in the Revolution. As was the norm for the time they feature misericords, or a sort of hinged ledge which functioned as a seat but allowed the monks to appear to be standing whilst they suffered through long services, or 'offices'. The misericords are carved with a variety of quirky subjects, mixing the sacred and the profane, clowns and devils, and illustrations of proverbs. Images such as 'green men' swallowing or spitting leaves symbolise the renewal of Nature. Debauchery is depicted by a pig's head or performing clowns.

The end of one of the 15th century choir stalls.

There is also a set of much more staid 17th century oak choir stalls. They were made during the reign of Louis XIII and feature acanthus leaves, angel's heads, pomegranates, swans and fish, in the style of their time.

A misericord depicting fish on a 17th century choir stall.

A misericord depicting pomegranates on a 17th century choir stall.

Misericord on a 15th century choir stall, depicting a jester with a rattle.

A misericord on one of the 15th century choir stalls, depicting a man in bed I think, although he's got his eyes open and wearing a tunic or doublet.

A 15th century misericord, depicting a man with a fashionable forked beard.

A 15th misericord depicting a boar's head.

A 15th century misericord depicting an acrobat exposing his backside. Images such as this are surprisingly common in medieval churches.

A Descartes Memorial

There's a plaque in Descartes, in a slightly out of the way car park, that we have noticed, but never stopped to read.

In the 1930s, André Goupille was a veterinarian living with his family in La Haye-Descartes (now Descartes). When France was divided during the Second World War, the German demarcation line passed close to their home. Because of his profession, André held a permanent pass allowing him to cross the line. From 1940 onward, he organized a clandestine network to help people cross, involving his wife Jeanne, their four teenage children, and their housekeeper, Odette Metais. Together, they assisted approximately 2,000 individuals, including Jews fleeing persecution, escaped prisoners of war, Allied pilots, and members of the Resistance. They also transported messages and intelligence to London and sometimes sheltered refugees for several days.

Their courage is documented by letters of gratitude from those they helped, including Jewish refugees who had escaped from Drancy. In January 1942, André was arrested for carrying incriminating documents but managed to secure his release by claiming they were linked to black-market activities. He then continued his work from the southern zone, joined later by Jeanne. After the German invasion of the southern zone, their resistance activities expanded to include receiving parachute drops.

In February 1944, the entire group was arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. Remarkably, all survived. In 2000, Yad Vashem honored André and Jeanne Goupille, their children, and Odette Metais as Righteous Among the Nations.

Pierre and Denise Renard also lived in La Haye-Descartes during the Second World War. Pierre was involved in the French Resistance and helped escaped prisoners of war and downed Allied airmen cross into the southern zone. His actions expanded when a local hotel owner informed him that the Freudman family, Belgian Jews seeking refuge in France, had been abandoned by smugglers after being robbed of their money.

Pierre rescued the family—two parents and their two-year-old twin daughters—and brought them to his home, where they were temporarily hidden in a small hut in the courtyard. Denise, a schoolteacher, cared for them and ensured they had food and basic necessities. One morning before dawn, she provided the family with supplies and forged identity papers before bidding them farewell. Pierre then guided them by indirect routes across the demarcation line and placed them on a bus bound for Vichy. The following day, he visited them to make sure they were safe.

Pierre Renard sought no reward for his actions, motivated solely by resistance to the occupation and compassion for the persecuted. In 1944, he was arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Dachau. Though he survived the camp, he died shortly after the war due to illness and suffering. In 1969, Yad Vashem recognized Pierre and Denise Renard as Righteous Among the Nations.

The Scourge Sent by God and Other Local Sights Around Yzeures

The other day I walked 7 kilometres with les Galoches along the flood plain of the Creuse River from Yzeures. 

 

A quince tree in a garden.

The Creuse River.

An intriguing inscription which refers to a tremendous flood in the mid-19th century as 'a scourge sent by God'.

Wooden dividing wall in a barn.

Sorghum (Fr. sorgho) crop.

Big Sheath Mushroom Volvopluteus glioicephalus (Fr. Volvaire gluante) growing in the horse manure and straw left after a weekend event which included gypsy caravan rides.

The Creuse River.

Christ is Re-Risen

Back in April I was out with Les Galoches walking group from Yzeures sur Creuse and we passed a large stone cairn at an intersection. I asked what it was, which resulted in gales of laughter.

The plinth in April.

The cairn is a plinth for a crucifix. Yzeures sur Creuse hosts a very successful rock festival every year in the summer. I'm told that last year, during the festival, a somewhat inebriated young man seeking to impress his girlfriend climbed the plinth and hung off the cross, which promptly came crashing to the ground.

The newly repaired crucifix.

Local social media groups apparently had a good deal to say about it, of the 'young people today!' variety, but it seems that the young man was instantly mortified, and first thing the next morning, turned himself in. He went to the town hall to 'fess up, and they were completely sympathetic. They commented that the metal rod fixing the crucifix to the plinth was so badly rusted that they already had it on their list to deal with. In their view the young man was just unfortunate and they were glad no one was seriously hurt. The crucifix has now been repaired and is in tip top condition for further festival highjinks next month...

On the Sheeps Back

Chateauroux has had its ups and downs, but for several centuries it rode high on the back of its sheep. Chateauroux was wool country and its factories famous for making French military uniforms, and later flags. As I was walking through the city centre recently with Jean-Louis Cirès the City Archivist (on a completely unrelated historical quest) we passed a rather grand building with a carved scene above the door. According to Jean-Louis the building was the headquarters of one of the wool producers syndicates. I need to do much more digging into this fascinating period so more blog posts may see the light of day in due course. 

 

The relief sculpture depicts two women in work smocks and caps with a sheep at their feet. They are bottle feeding a lamb on a bench.

Nowadays one barely sees a sheep around Chateauroux, and the old woollen mill is converted into the University campus. The new mill is out of town and makes carpets, carpet tiles and acoustic tiles. I assume it no longer works with wool but synthetics.

The Nancy Wake Memorial Ride

Meeting the cyclists at the stadium in Chateauroux. Later this year this will be where a stage of the Tour de France finishes.

More than a year ago the Nancy Wake Memorial Ride came to my attention on Facebook [ https://www.facebook.com/people/Nancy-Wake-Memorial-Ride/61555790881536/ ]. Led by Australian Armed Forces veteran Liz Wheeler a group of fellow female veterans planned to recreate the epic cycle ride made by Franco-Australian Resistance heroine, Nancy Wake. Working with them was the Franco-Australian cycle tour company Velotours, based in the Pyrenees [ https://velotours.com.au/].

  

The cyclists with the Velotours support vehicle at the stadium.

Nancy is not as well known as one might think. She was an Australian living the good life in the south of France, married to a French industrialist, when the Second World War broke out. Both she and her husband were active members of the Resistance. He was captured and killed but she survived, known as the White Mouse, despite the price put on her head by the Nazis. 

 

Riding into town between Sylvie in the white car and Claudette.

As a member of SOE she participated in many acts of sabotage and hand to hand combat. Her most remarkable feat was to ride from a village in Puy de Dome, through Montlucon, Bourges and Issoudun to Chateauroux and back, a distance of nearly 500 kilometres in 72 hours, in order to get a radio message through to London.

 

Outside the public library and theatre, posing for the newspaper photo.

The Australian veterans took it a bit more leisurely, but they made stops along the way to meet locals and spread Nancy's story. Our meeting in Chateauroux was no exception. I was able to put them in touch with a local journalist and members of the local Friends of the Resistance Museum (ACRDI), including Michel Fouassier, the secretary of the association, and Jean-Louis Cirès, the Chateauroux town archivist [ https://www.helloasso.com/associations/amis-du-centre-d-histoire-et-de-memoire-de-la-resistance-et-de-la-deportation-dans-l-indre-acrdi ].

Storing the bikes in the theatre café.

Chateauroux does not in fact currently have a Resistance Museum. It is a project 'de longue haleine' as Michel put it ie it has long been in the planning, but funding has been elusive. Consequently he was very pleased to have reason to collar a journalist and get some publicity showing how interested people are in Resistance history and how important it is to keep these memories alive and honour the brave people involved.

The cyclists posing outside the building where Nancy Wake arrived hoping to meet 'Samuel' the radio operator.

The cyclists arrived spot on time and we met them at the sports stadium on the edge of town. Then Sylvie, a colleague of Michel's, led us all in convoy into the centre to town to meet the journalist outside the public library. After parking the bikes in the adjacent theatre café (closed because it was a public holiday, but Michel had a key!) we walked the short distance to the building Nancy came to meet with a radio operator code named Samuel (real name Amédée Maingard). At the time it was the Café du Cygne, now abandoned and with a name change, but the building still exists. Unfortunately for Nancy, Samuel had fled for his life the day before, and she had to move on. 

Having lunch in the Italian restaurant.

Sylvie had booked us a table at an Italian restaurant nearby, so we enjoyed a well-deserved and agreeable lunch. After lunch there was time for a bit more sightseeing and we encountered the American Army reenactors in the main square. They were offering rides in their vintage trucks and jeeps. We went to see the house where the very first radio message was sent by the Resistance to the Allies in London, and then the War Memorial and the memorial to the Righteous among Nations.

Second World War American Army re-enactors, offering free rides to the public in their vintage vehicles as part of the Victory in Europe activities on 8 May. 

After that our doughty cyclists needed a rest and a freshen up, so we parted company. They went to their hotel, we came home. It was quite a special day and we've made some great new friends, both French and Australian.

At the house where Georges Bégué sent the first radio message from the Resistance to London. All subsequent SOE radio operators were known as 'Georges', and referred to as 'pianists'.

Further reading: Article in the Nouvelle République (in French, behind paywall) https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/chateauroux/cinq-australiennes-dans-la-roue-de-la-resistante-nancy-wake-dans-l-indre-1746727637

Wikipedia page on Nancy Wake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wake

The War Memorial, which honours not just combatants, but those civilians who were deported to concentration camps.

The nearby memorial to the Righteous Among Nations, with Michel indicating his cousin's name at the bottom.

The Youngest Cyclist Ever in the Tour de France

This year, on Sunday 13 July, the Tour de France will be whizzing through Preuilly sur Claise, as it did in 1998 and 2008 [https://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/2008/07/circus-hits-town.html]. We are very much looking forward to it, as we try to witness a stage every year, and it is nice to have it on one's doorstep (almost literally -- we'll only have to stroll about 50 metres to be in the thick of it). To get us in the mood, here is some history that you probably don't know:

In 1904 a young man named Camille Fily lined up at the start of the second Tour de France, in Montgeron, near Paris. He had just turned 17, and he was born in Preuilly sur Claise. The youngest of five children born to Henri Fily, a cutler, and Marie-Louise Bourin, an umbrella reparer, he was also the youngest competitor there has ever been in the Tour de France. His parents showcased their work at various local markets and Camille helped out. He and his brothers were mechanically minded and very interested in bicycles.

He became a father at a very young age, but nevertheless completed his obligatory military service with the 32nd Infantry Regiment. When the 1914 mobilisation order was issued, Camille, now aged 27, was sent to the Front with the 80th Infantry Regiment. He was attached as a runner to a Colonel's staff, and was regularly cited as having accomplished his mission with a remarkably cool head and was described as a brave, conscientious and energetic soldier. As a messenger he cycled from one trench to another all along the line. He was killed in Belgium, two days before his 31st birthday.

Camille started racing when his parents moved to Loches and he joined the Société vélocipédique. In 1904 he was signed up for the Tour de France, at that point a six stage race over 2428  kilometres. It was a real physical challenge, where competitors raced day and night. There were 80 riders, and they were regularly 'welcomed' with showers of stones, or nails scattered on the road.

In 1905 Camille competed for a second time in the Tour de France, which in that year was 2994 kilometres. The rules had evolved, so there was no more riding at night, and classifications were made on the basis of points, not times. The welcome in the villages had not changed though and the spectators were not happy. Amongst 60 racers Camille finished 14th, and was the first in his team, Guérin Cycles. The same year Camille came 10th in the Bordeaux-Paris. He set off at 2 am and arrived about 14 hours later, having raced the 600 kilometre course virtually non-stop.

The next year his first child was born, and he gave up racing. He was just 19 years old.

 

This post is essentially my translation of an article by Patricia Pillorger for the Centre Généalogique de Touraine. 

Further Reading: The very good entry on Fily in Cyclists in the Great War Wikia (including a photo of the dashing young Camille).

https://cyclists-in-the-great-war.fandom.com/wiki/Camille_Fily

 

Photos in this post are all from 2008, when the Tour last passed through Preuilly, from our archive. They show the peleton passing the end of our street.

How Does the Cucumber Jump?

Have you ever encountered a Squirting Cucumber? They are frankly a bit alarming. The merest touch will send the fruit exploding its seeds and unpleasant liquid for metres, and you'd better be out of the way. This plant in the photos was in the courtyard of Preuilly's little local museum.

But up until just recently, it wasn't fully understood how the plant achieved its explosive power. The explosion lasts just 30 milliseconds, and the seeds, travelling at 20 metres per second, could end up 10 metres away. Oxford based scientists have now filmed and measured, and discovered something unique. What they realised was that the fruits become highly pressurised, filling up with mucilage. Then, amazingly, some of the fluid transfers back out of the fruit and returns to the stem causing it to become longer, thicker and stiffer. Crucially this causes the fruit to rotate to the perfect angle for blastoff. Finally the stem recoils from the fruit, causing the seeds to eject. These discoveries have implications for precise control of rapid drug delivery in medicine.

Ecballium elaterium or Squirting Cucumber as it is usually known in English (Concombre sauteur in French) is a perennial, native to Southern Europe, appearing wherever there is sandy, stony or waste ground. The plant is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, so is genuinely a cucumber. The fruits are poisonous and were used medicinally in the past (as so often with poisonous plants, the right dose is actually beneficial, but it needs administering with a skilled and knowledgeable hand – something that is largely lost to us now). Apparently, the fruit is so strong a purgative that just absorbing the liquid from the seed capsule through the skin can have an effect. The liquid is also extremely irritating to the skin.

Because of its very effective seed distribution system, it can very easily take over an area, and consequently, it is necessary every now and then for brave souls covered from head to toe in protective gear to remove as much as they can to keep it under control in gardens and public spaces.

A Resistance Hub

After France was divided into Occupied France and 'Free' France the town of Loches ended up being close to the Demarcation Line, more or less as far north as you could get in the 'Free' zone. As a result the area around Loches became one of the principle crossing places for people wishing to clandestinely get from one zone to the other.

Sympathetic locals emerged from the farming communities that lived along the frontier. They wouldn't accompany the refugees, but they would pass on information about the best routes so as to avoid unpleasant encounters, the timings of patrols, and they might offer a bowl of soup and shelter for the night. Later the frontier became better guarded, and brave souls came forward, offering to drive refugees up to the border, and they became known as 'passeurs'.

 

Now a Michelin starred restaurant called Abore et Sens, this was until 2019 the Gerbe d'Or.

Initially they were patriots offering their services for free. But as time went on, the Germans increased their surveillance and the risks became greater. The number of passeurs diminished, and the profile of the passeurs changed to more 'professional', some of whom asked for payment for their services in view of the risks they were running. Little by little a true network developed, with links to the Resistance. The veterinarian Goupille and his family in Descartes were key members of this organisation.

Then several passeurs were denounced. They were deported, and three of them never returned from the concentration camps. 

In Loches the café-restaurant La Gerbe d'Or was a meeting point for those wanting to discretely cross into the Occupied Zone. They would be driven to Dolus le Sec, where it was possible to cross the frontier secretly. They would wait at the Hotel Perrusson then at nightfall, accompanied by their guide, they would slip out. After several hours of walking over ploughed fields and open meadows they would reach the little train station of Cormery, in the Occupied Zone.

A Bit Sobering

We wrote about the World War 2 demarcation line last year when there was an exhibition in the salle de fête, and a couple of times before that, too.

We were at the mairie on Thursday morning, and we were rather surprised to see the original, authentic, demarcation line notice popped against the council chamber wall.

It always sends a sobering chill down my back to remember that this is within living memory.

Bellevue OZO Service Station

 As I was leaving a family rolled up in a lovely Wartburg to do photos. This East German coupe was manufactured from 1956 to 1965.

Sitting alongside the Nationale 10 this service station has been designated as 'Remarkable Architecture', and has been much photographed over the years. The building is an iconic mid-twentieth century American influenced structure, especially with the sweeping, soaring spire at the front, like a totem, bearing the OZO name. It opened in the spring of 1956. Following the merger of OZO and Total in 1964, the service station changed names to become the 'Relais Charles Martel'. But with the opening of the A10 Autoroute between Tours and Poitiers in 1977, the traffic along the N10 inexorably diminished, and the relais closed in 1984.

 

Plan for the service station.

Like a number of decommissioned service stations, the building found a second life as the sales office for a second-hand car dealership. The spire served as an ensign for the roadhouse next door, l'Etoile du Sud. At the end of the 1990s, after the closure of the restaurant, the surroundings deteriorated little by little but the service station stayed proudly upright on the side of the road, waiting for someone to take an interest again. That happened in 2011, when the municipality of Sainte Maure de Touraine realised what a characterful heritage building they had in their territory and decided to protect it within their local Urban Plan. Interest in the former service station grew until in 2016 the Départementale Architecture and Heritage Unit (part of the Ministry of Culture) decided to award it the label 'Patrimoine du XXième siècle' (20th century heritage), which has since become 'Architecture contemporaine remarquarble' (Notable contemporary architecture).  

 

 Front elevation plan.

Initially the work to restore the structure was to deal the deterioration brought about by the weather over the years. Following that there was the desire to restore it to its original state and make it a recognisable icon of the heritage along the former Route Nationale 10. It sits in the heart of the Touraine, mid-way between Paris and Hendaye, so ideally situated. Since 2021 the Association Nostal'10 has regularly organised classic car meets here. At the beginning of the 21st century, when mobility is resolutely oriented towards 'green energy', it is necessary to preserve this element of the previous century's heritage, just like we preserve former stage coaching inns. The Relais Charles Martel is the incarnation of the 'Trentes Glorieuses', a testament to a bygone era that should be preserved.

 

 Side elevation plan.

If you are interested in staying up to date with activities at Bellevue OZO Service Station, the Association Nostal'10 has a Facebook page. It has become a tradition to stop to take a photo of your car under the canopy and post it on the FB page. https://www.facebook.com/p/Nostal10-100057312614789/

 

The petrol pumps are being recreated in concrete. I was told that it was because it was 'less risky'. I'm not sure whether that means in terms of vintage pumps being stolen or real pumps being a safety hazard.

We have participated in this event several times.

Why not go and join the fun tomorrow? Everyone is welcome. Simon is thinking of going in Claudette. I'll be working in Chinon though.