“He was sensitive to the life of each of his men”, the descendants of Georges Vigan-Braquet present at the commemorative ceremony grateful and moved

Gildas et Véronique de Poulpiquet, petits-enfants du commandant Vigan-Braquet, ont rencontré ce samedi le Colonel Alain David, qui s'est plongé dans les écrits de leur grand-père pendant plus de dix ans.   Midi Libre – C. C.

Sixteen of them were present this Saturday, September 14. Colonel Alain David, military advisor for these commemorations, was able to offer them his book on their ancestor, this hero.

Sixteen descendants (grandchildren and great-grandchildren) of Georges Vigan-Braquet were present at the tribute ceremony to the Vigan-Braquet commando, these 280 young recruits from the Gard Rhodanien who left on September 14, 1944 from Place Mallet to participate in the liberation of France. She was very moved, the granddaughter of Georges Vigan-Braquet, Véronique de Poulpiquet, from “seeing all the generations together”His brother, Gildas de Poulpiquet, shared a vibrant speech at the ceremony, recalling moments he experienced as a child with a grandfather who spoke English, German, Italian, Russian and had a good knowledge of Arabic. Or these convivial momentsx, “every summer, the elders met at the charterhouse of Valbonne”, with this anecdote, these survivors who chanted “The SS are clenching their buttocks”, an allusion to an ambush carried out by the commando”. Gildas de Poulpiquet paid tribute to Paul, 18, from Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres, “one of the first killed in the Vosges”, to Pierre Jarrié, the last survivor, who died in 2019, and to the Arène, Bagnol, Sénéchaux, Bichard, Coste families “and many others”.

“He was positive”

Gildas and Véronique de Poulpiquet (and many others) then visited the exhibition on the commando at the Mallet cellar, where Colonel David Alain offered them his newly published book, Commandant Vigan-Braquet, le courage de choisir et de résistant, 1942-1945. Colonel David, a history enthusiast, participated in the design of the exhibition dedicated to the commando, and was the military advisor for the organization of this day of commemoration. “Meeting people who are passionate about your life… two or three generations later, you have the impression that it is still alive. The mayor's speech was very unifying and very strong as well", shares Véronique de Poulpiquet. With her brother, she testifies: "Yes, there was a transmission of memory in the family. Our grandfather was a positive person. He was sensitive to the life of each of his men."

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