On Saturday April 6, following the will of Marcel Richard, part of the French resistance during WWII and last president of the Departmental Union of Resistance Volunteer Combatants of the Indre department (Union Départementale des Combattants Volontaires de la Résistance de l’Indre - UDCVR) - attached to the National Confederation of Volunteer Resistance Fighters (CNCVR ) - his wife Christiane Richard and Rodney Richard, his grandson, came to drop off the flag of the association at “Les Amis de La Martinerie”.

The departmental association, of which he was the last member, was composed only of members of the French Resistance.

This will be the 29th flag displayed in the flag room of “La Maison Départementale de la Mémoire Militaire”, based on the La Martinerie site. It will join the flags of the “Association Amicale des Combattants Volontaires de la Résistance and that of the Indre section of the “Groupement National des Réfractaires et Maquisards” both visible in the photo.

Originally from the Lozère department, Mr Marcel Richard was born in Mende on October 23, 1922. He died on October 1, 2022 at the dawn of his 100th birthday. Refusing to leave for the Compulsory Labor Service (STO), he had, as a refractory person and, according to the common expression, "Taken the maquis" and had enroled in the organisation called "Combat des Cévennes".

Arriving in the department through a random transfer, as a registration inspector at the Indre tax services, he quickly joined the association and took over as president upon the death of Pierre Bellier.

It is worth noting that these flags, preserved under some specific agreements, under stricts temperature and humidity conditions can be brought out, at the request of the right person or association, to participate in an event or a ceremony.

Madame Richard and her grandson took advantage of their visit to hand over numerous documents to “Les Amis de La Martinerie”.

Click on images to enlarge
Photos credit: Marie-Claude and Jean-Jacques Bérenguier – Rodney Richard