To the 20,000 pigeons who died for their homeland
The role of pigeons during the First World War is relatively unknown, but you should know that in 1914, while modern communications were still in their infancy, several tens of thousands of pigeons were requisitioned and engaged in an intelligence war. From the front lines, they are sent to the rear to transmit messages. Note that to ensure that the message gets across, the military sends two pigeons with the same writing in case one does not arrive. The stakes were so high that, in the occupied zones, the Germans ordered the slaughter of domestic pigeons, with offenders being liable... to the death penalty.
The monument is the work of a local sculptor: Alexandre Descatoire in collaboration with the architect Jacques Alleman, following a commission from the national federation of pigeon societies of France.