A local newspaper article reports that in 1991, in the woods of Saint-Rémy-la-Calonne, following long searches led by Michel Algrain of Montlivault and Claude Regnault, with the help of such locals as Jean Louis from Lacroix-sur-Meuse, Roger Margerard from Mesnils-sous-les-côtes and DRAC (Directeurs régionaux des affaires culturelles) archaeologists, the remains of bodies from World War I were found. One of those remains was of Henri-Alban Fournier, much better known simply as Alain-Fournier (1886-1914), whose only novel was the immensely internationally successful novel of adolescent love and loss, Le Grand Meaulnes.
The memorial to Alain-Fournier and the men killed with him.
The monument itself is very impressive, having involved a large amount of time and money, but is not easy to locate, and you need to go a long way along the Tranchée de Calonne to find it.
Some have called the central object 'La Pyramide' after the entrance to the Louvre.
There are a few reflections here, but Alain-Fournier's monument can be clearly seen.
Henri-Patrick Stein, in his nearby atelier in Mouilly, sculpted this superb monument.
Representations of Alain-Fournier's Le Grand Meaulnes and his képi.
It would probably have taken us much longer to find the memorial without the help of local historian Roger Margerard (mentioned above and pictured immediately above), who even added information when we got to the village church in Saint-Rémy-la-Calonne and (on his way home) added a word of local history when I'd photographed Maurice Genevoix's statue in Les Éparges. Many thanks, Roger, et ouais, on se demande quand ils vont déboucher le tunnel après toutes ces conneries !
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