Oradour sur Glane

On 10 June 1944, Nazi SS officers rounded up the inhabitants of the village of Oradour-sur-Glane and massacred 642 innocent men, women and children.

The men were taken off and shot in the legs before being burnt alive. The women and children were locked in the church which was set on fire. 6 men and 1 woman escaped to tell the story. There is a full story here

At the end of the war, General De Gaulle declared that the village should be left untouched as an example to future generations and a new village was built next door.

Jane and I have been here before but we wanted to visit again since we were in the area. It is the most humbling and moving experience particularly as we were the first people to visit this morning and it was totally deserted.

It was impossible choosing which picture to post. Jane has posted the iconic image of the car belonging to Dr. Jacques Desourteaux. I decided to post a picture of one of the many sewing machines still in place in the houses. It is the sight of these everyday objects among the ruins that is so poignant.

Among the list of the victims the youngest we saw was 12 days and the oldest 81. We may have missed some younger or older.

I have posted more images on Flickr. Please have a look .

If you haven't been here and you are near Limoges then a visit is a must. There is a good and very tastefully done visitor centre. Admission to the village is free and photography is allowed. I strongly recommend getting there at 9am as it opens.