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Remembered Today:

Portugese memorials


Thomas

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Since the Portugese joined the allies I think in 1915 and a division fought on the Western Front then there should be some memorials to them as yet I haven't found any. Does any one know of a Portugese memorial on the Western Front?

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There's a Portuguese Cemetery at La Bombe, not far from Armentieres and there are two Portuguese memorials, one at Ambleteux, near Boulogne, where there was a Portuguese hospital, and another at La Couture, not far from Bethune.

Tom

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I think there were 2 divisions.

The memorial Tom mentions at Le Couture is bizarre, strange symbols of death, I wish someone could post a picture and explanation.

There is also a very nice one in Boulougne East Cemetery.

The headstones in their cemetery at La Bombe are in very bad shape.

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From 'War Memorials by Alan Borg'

One symbolic figure that seldom occurs is Death. This probably because the traditional skelatal personification of Death as a grim and horrific spectre was found to be ill-suited to memorials that were intended to honour courage and sacrifice and to rejoice in victory. Death is seen as a noble act of self-sacrifice, not another inevitable victory for the reaper.

One suggested example in Brtitain is Harold Brownsword's memorial for Allerton near Bradford, where a wounded soldier is supported by a cowled female figure, but the identification seems uncertain.

Artist were less reticent on the continent and it comes as a salutary shock to meet the memorial to the French 69th Division at the aplty named Morte Homme on the Verdun battelefield. Here a large figure of Death carriers a broken spear and surmounts the proud inscription Ils n'ont pas passe. The sculptor was Froment Meurice.

A still more dramatic, inded bizarre version occurs on the Portuguese Corps Memorial in the little village of La Couture near Bethune, where a skelatal Death, armed with his sickle, is receiving a falling soldier into his arms, while Victory, with drawn sword, looks on helplessly from above.

The whole monument is constructed on a podium in the form of a ruined church. The sculptor was F.Lopes and there can be few more unexpected village memorials in existence.

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  • 5 years later...

The Portuguese Memorial in La Couture was inaugurated by Portugal and France on November 10th of 1928.

The memorial designed by the sculptor António Teixeira Lopes was built in stone and bronze by portuguese workers.

Under a ruined wall of a gothic church, an allegory of the "Pátria" (homeland) brandishes a sword while aids a portuguese soldier that trys to defeat Death.

The sword belonged to one of the portuguese independence heros (against Castila at the Battle of Aljubarrota - 1385) Nun'Álvares Pereira, o Condestável (Constable).

On the back of the memorial it's a christ probably inspired by the Cristo das Trincheiras (The Trench Christ). This christ "survived" mutilated over the ruins of the church at Neuve-Chapelle. A non-detonated shell stucked on the wooden cross was considered by the portuguese soldiers a sign of God that faith could lead to salvation.

The Trench Christ can be visited in the Mosteiro da Batalha in the room of the Unknown Soldier Tomb

More on Nun'Álvares Pereira at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuno_%C3%81lvares_Pereira

More on the Batalha Monastery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Batalha

Unknown Soldier Tomb http://br.olhares.com/guarda_ao_tumulo_do_...oto2668955.html

If you need any info about the Portuguese Great War (or any translation) I'll be happy to help.

P.S.: Sorry about my english.

Best regards

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  • 8 years later...

Stumbled across this memorial the other day. Big surprise. Has shades of Le Mort Homme at Verdun.

59ba779ec1455_Portugesememorial.jpg.335d7261e136a952c3b751e4a1f27297.jpg

 

 

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I spotted that one while browsing in a book on display at Clemenceau's retirement home then promptly forgot where it is. I was unaware that the Portuguese were armed with SMLEs.

 

Cheers Martin B

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  • 1 year later...

I visited the Batalha Monastery last week.  The Monastery holds the Portuguese Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (actually two Unknown Warriors - one from the Western Front and one from Africa).  My (rather fuzzy) photo "Unknown Warrior" shows a general view of the tomb the photo "Plaque" gives the provenance and explanation of the "Christ of the Trenches" figure shown above the tomb.  The last photo "Detail" is self explanatory and the wreath that you see is a recent British tribute.  There have been several GWF posts regarding Portuguese helmets of the Great War period - I can confirm there is a typical Brodie helmet with the Portuguese owner's details, and several other similar representations on various pictures and sculptures, in the attached museum.

Unknown Warrior.jpg

Plaque.jpg

Detail.jpg

Edited by TullochArd
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Boulogne East Cemetery

BoulogneEastCEPGraves.JPG

BoulogneEastCEPMonument.JPG

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Portuguese National Cemetery Ricchebourg

PortugueseNationalCemeteryRicchebourg.JPG

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