100 years ago, a relentless, exhausting, devastating, and dreadful war began… A conflict unlike any the World had ever experienced. The Alpes-Maritimes proved to be an exceptional haven, welcoming tens of thousands of wounded individuals, both civilians and soldiers, French or foreign.
This is why the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes decided to implement, starting in November 2013 and throughout 2014, a program of events and initiatives with a special emphasis on the human aspect.
Thus, among the major meetings, the genealogical association of the Alpes-Maritimes is organizing the first national genealogical meeting on the Great War, from April 11 to 13 at the palace of the Sardinian Kings.
The General Council and AGAM* have chosen to work together to pay tribute to the 6,915 soldiers from the Alpes-Maritimes who died in the line of duty.
A century now separates us from the onset of a conflict that was among the most devastating and deadly that Humanity has ever endured. Sadly, there are no longer any veterans (known as “poilus”) left to share the poignant testimony of this event that so severely affected the world, France, and the Alpes-Maritimes.
Fortunately, the chain of memory has not been broken thanks to the efforts of vigilant links in the chain, the work of historians, and the contributions of archivists. In this regard, the Genealogical Association of the Alpes-Maritimes serves as one of the essential channels for this year of commemoration, particularly through its remarkable research on men who died for France, conducted within the framework of the “Bleuets Project.”
As the centenary approaches, memory project initiatives can be integrated
in the same framework as historical research, which increasingly
focuses on a “bottom-up” reinterpretation of the Great War.
The value of such an approach, often based on the testimonies of these ordinary men,
allows us to rediscover this “generation under fire” and to fully understand the
diversity that comprises this army of citizen-soldiers, as well as their combat
experiences. This new perspective on this “army of the anonymous,” sometimes forgotten
or overlooked by history, will provide additional and necessary insights into understanding the first world conflict.
