Monument aux Morts de la Légion étrangère, War memorial at French Foreign Legion Museum in Aubagne, France.
The Monument aux Morts de la Légion étrangère is a cenotaph at the Foreign Legion Museum in Aubagne, built of pale stone blocks with shallow steps leading to a broad rectangular body. At its top rests a dark globe with gold-toned continents above sculpted leaves, and two bronze soldiers with rifles stand at the front corners. The inscription reads "LA LEGION A SES MORTS" with the dates 1831-1931 and 1931-1981.
In 1927 Colonel Rollet, commander of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment at Sidi-bel-Abbès, proposed a memorial for the Legion's centenary of 1831. The first stone was laid on 9 October 1930 and it was inaugurated on 30 April 1931, the anniversary of Camerone. When the regiment left for Aubagne in October 1962, the sculpted elements were shipped and re-inaugurated there on 30 April 1963, the battle's centenary.
The monument is a cenotaph modelled on the kouba, small Arab mausoleums, and was entirely clad in Algerian onyx. The sacred way leading to it is the traditional site for the annual celebration of the Battle of Camerone, fought on 30 April 1863.
The monument stands inside the Foreign Legion museum grounds in Aubagne, on the same axis as the sacred path, the hall of honour and the crypt. The memorial and the sacred path were classified as historical monuments in 2020, so access follows museum opening conditions. Allow time to walk the sacred path before the cenotaph.
Legionnaires funded this memorial's construction by contributing one day of their monthly salary each month for four years. This unusual funding method reflects the soldiers' personal dedication to honoring their fallen comrades.
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