Monument to the children of Calais, Memorial in Calais, France
The Monument to the Children of Calais is a memorial in the city of Calais, northern France, honoring children who died during colonial expeditions and wartime conflicts. It features a stone pedestal with bronze reliefs and a female figure leaning on the coat of arms of the city.
The idea for the memorial emerged in 1899, when local residents raised funds to honor the city's fallen children. It was inaugurated in 1904 and placed at the entrance of Saint-Pierre Park, after Calais had merged with the neighboring town of Saint-Pierre in 1885.
The memorial stands at the entrance of Saint-Pierre Park and is easy to reach on foot from the surrounding streets. It sits near other historical sites in the area, so visiting them together works well as part of a short walk through this part of the city.
Above the female figure at the top of the monument sits a sculpture of Captain Hippolyte Dutertre, a soldier born near Calais in 1807 who was executed in Algeria after defending his comrades. His name appears alongside others on the sides of the pedestal, next to bronze reliefs representing Duty and Humanity.
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