Profanation
- Thread starter 911car
- Start date
Many years ago, a local remote cemetery was dug up and graves opened, the authorities announced that many of the graves opened had been of victims of small pox and that the people involved should report to the nearest hospital for check ups. They were arrested at the hospital. One can hope that the Spanish Influenza may make a visit to these cretins.
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gus
Best
gus
joerookery
Well-known member
Thank you Bruno,
Why?
Why?
Pierre Grande Guerre
New member
More news about the burglary in the Ossuaire at Douaumont, Verdun.
There haven been stolen mainly skulls, coming from the battlefields of Froideterre, Fleury, Cote 304 and Samogneux.
Another source mentions that 4 artificial glass windows, giving a sight from the outside into the piles of skulls and bones, have been melted with a burner to get acces to the Ossuaire. Source of the text below: http://www.estrepublicain.fr/actualite/2012/03/09/profanation-de-l-ossuaire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Quote:
For understanding this ossuary and the small windows visit my website-photo page, The Nécropole Nationale de Douaumont: http://pierreswesternfront.punt.nl/?id=413944&r=1&tbl_archief=&" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .
There haven been stolen mainly skulls, coming from the battlefields of Froideterre, Fleury, Cote 304 and Samogneux.
Another source mentions that 4 artificial glass windows, giving a sight from the outside into the piles of skulls and bones, have been melted with a burner to get acces to the Ossuaire. Source of the text below: http://www.estrepublicain.fr/actualite/2012/03/09/profanation-de-l-ossuaire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Quote:
For understanding this ossuary and the small windows visit my website-photo page, The Nécropole Nationale de Douaumont: http://pierreswesternfront.punt.nl/?id=413944&r=1&tbl_archief=&" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .
RON
Well-known member
The theft may have nothing to do with the war itself and those poor unidentified fellows... I know for a fact that a lot of doctors (and dentists) would pay big bucks to get real skulls for display in their offices, which I presume are harder to find nowadays if not illegal.
I would guess that 'open' ossuaries such as this one or the catacombs of Paris or Rome are much easier to plunder than your classic cemetery.
I would guess that 'open' ossuaries such as this one or the catacombs of Paris or Rome are much easier to plunder than your classic cemetery.
Pierre Grande Guerre
New member
As far as I know from my own experience, Ron, the Ossuary was until yesterday only guarded during the opening hours.
Alas; We may not expect the French authorities to be able to guard every cemetery of the thousands of war cemeteries, which are in France, containing the human remains of both World Wars. That would be unreasonable.
In the long run these hoodlums will always be the first one to win. Let us hope that the French police will be able to catch them.
Alas; We may not expect the French authorities to be able to guard every cemetery of the thousands of war cemeteries, which are in France, containing the human remains of both World Wars. That would be unreasonable.
In the long run these hoodlums will always be the first one to win. Let us hope that the French police will be able to catch them.
joerookery
Well-known member
This is all very horrible. I would hope that the perpetrators get punished. A crime against the nation of France and a crime against all of us. Maybe this will make the caretakers clean the windows. I remember them being very difficult to see into decades ago.
Pierre Grande Guerre
New member
Not along ago, Joe, about 8-10 years I estimate, the replaced the original windows for Duplex (?) artificial glass. But also this glass offered only limited insight with exception of some of the windows depending on the sunlight of the hour.
The Ossuary was the first site concerning World War 1, Joe, I ever visited in 1986. The view of the windows shocked me and these "windows" shocked my then 16 years old "streetwise" daughter. Afterwards I think that this confrontation with these skulls and bones behind these small windows was the key moment or perhaps the turning point and it brought me into studying more and more about this period. And every time when I visit the Douaumont battlefields, I also always spent some time on the cemetery and the ossuary at the centre point of the battlefield! A horrible and morbide place, which also offers a feeling of being directly connected to the past.
I have read about and seen many profanations the last years, like a negative trend. About some of these cemetery profanations (Loos, Guebwiller, Notre Dame de Lorette) I wrote myself i.e. on Facebook. In Europe thieves are almost every week busy to steal bronze plaques form W1! and WW2 memorials, on a pace that you are getting a kind of accustomed to it. We had elsewhere an ionteresting discussion about grave robbers, misbehaving themselves and disturbing ( possible) archeological sites. These crimes are alas common nowadays in Europe. But this kind of profanation on such a place and scale is a competely new phenomenon, at least for me, and I am really shocked by this and I still don't understand why, unless these guys are sicko morons.
Excuse me, Joe, for discharging myself about being upset about this event in my answer to you. But I think you will understand.
The Ossuary was the first site concerning World War 1, Joe, I ever visited in 1986. The view of the windows shocked me and these "windows" shocked my then 16 years old "streetwise" daughter. Afterwards I think that this confrontation with these skulls and bones behind these small windows was the key moment or perhaps the turning point and it brought me into studying more and more about this period. And every time when I visit the Douaumont battlefields, I also always spent some time on the cemetery and the ossuary at the centre point of the battlefield! A horrible and morbide place, which also offers a feeling of being directly connected to the past.
I have read about and seen many profanations the last years, like a negative trend. About some of these cemetery profanations (Loos, Guebwiller, Notre Dame de Lorette) I wrote myself i.e. on Facebook. In Europe thieves are almost every week busy to steal bronze plaques form W1! and WW2 memorials, on a pace that you are getting a kind of accustomed to it. We had elsewhere an ionteresting discussion about grave robbers, misbehaving themselves and disturbing ( possible) archeological sites. These crimes are alas common nowadays in Europe. But this kind of profanation on such a place and scale is a competely new phenomenon, at least for me, and I am really shocked by this and I still don't understand why, unless these guys are sicko morons.
Excuse me, Joe, for discharging myself about being upset about this event in my answer to you. But I think you will understand.