Latest news with #warhero
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Operation Benjamin works to replace erroneous grave markers for Jewish American service members who died in battle
Ben Zion Bernstein served in one of the most elite fighting units in the US military during World War II – the First Special Service Force – a select group picked and put through rigorous training for among the most perilous missions. His first combat mission turned out to be his last. Bernstein, a technician fourth grade, was killed in the famous battle of Monte La Difensa on December 3, 1943, while storming a steep Italian mountain trying to overtake a Nazi stronghold. Bernstein's siblings and their descendants knew he was a war hero, but none of the details of his sacrifice. They also didn't know that despite being a proud Jew, he'd been buried under a Latin cross for more than 80 years at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy, until a historian named Shalom Lamm contacted them. Lamm is with a non-profit organization called Operation Benjamin, which works with the American Battle Monuments Commission to help find Jewish soldiers who were buried in American military cemeteries around the world under Latin crosses and correct those inadvertent errors by replacing their headstones with a Star of David. Several of Bernstein's nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews traveled to Italy this month to participate in a ceremony to honor him and replace the cross with a Star of David to represent his Jewish faith. 'It was a big part of his life. He went to a Jewish school. He was part of the Jewish organizations. He went to Palestine,' said nephew Ben Sheridan, who is named for his uncle. 'The best part is, you know, what Shalom Lamm and his organization has done to teach us so much about his legacy,' he added. The afternoon before the ceremony, the Bernstein family climbed what they called the 'easy part' of the mountain where their uncle died and saw the bunker where the Nazis threw a grenade that killed him. And a surprise guest came to meet them. Lamm invited Brad Hicks, the grandson of Major General Robert T. Frederick, a storied World War II military leader who organized, trained and led the First Special Service Force, which later became US Army Special Forces. 'When Shalom asked me if I would do this, I didn't hesitate for a moment because I knew that my grandfather would not hesitate for a moment to do this for one of his men who fell on the battlefield,' said Hicks, who traveled from Washington state to Italy for the ceremony. 'I've had the privilege of meeting many members of our special forces. They know about the Battle of Mount La Difensa. They still study it as part of their training, and they know about the greatness of the men who undertook that mission. Today's special forces embody the legacy of Ben Bernstein,' said Hicks. Lamm, whose organization has replaced more than 30 military headstones, said that many times the US military erroneously buried a Jewish service member beneath a cross because the service member intentionally left their religion off their dog tag. 'These were true errors,' Lamm explained. 'America really tried to get it right, but when you had someone who put a 'P' or a 'C' for Protestant and Catholic on their dog tag and they did that to protect themselves in case of capture.' 'If you were captured by the Germans, in particular, that was really terrifying,' Lamm added. 'I think we need to look back and think America did a great job getting this right, but they naturally missed some, and our job is to come back after all these decades and find those guys and bring this home and do the right thing,' Lamm said. Once Lamm has identified a service member who has been buried under the wrong religious symbol, he sets out doing the research to find proof of the error and the service member's closest living relatives since the only way to change a headstone in a military cemetery is with the approval of the service member's family. 'The amount of proof we're required to deliver to the American Battle Monuments Commission is really huge. It's really tough and it should be tough. We're changing something for eternity,' said Lamm. Lamm's research often gives families new information about their loved ones, like in the case of Bernstein. 'It has happened again and again and again that I introduce people to someone who's just a shadowy figure in their memory, you know. When someone is a kid and he says, 'Hey Mom, there's a black and white photo above the hearth of a guy in a uniform, was that your brother?' and Mom starts to cry and little Johnny says 'I don't want Mom to cry,' and he never asks her again,' Lamm explained. 'Then I come along, and I say, wow, because of the American Battle Monuments Commission, we know everything about this guy. We went through his high school yearbook. We knew who his girlfriend was. We know what sports he played. We know what career choices [he made]. We know everything about him. And we're introducing families to the shadowy figure and bringing them to life. They were real flesh and blood human beings, and we know that story and it's great to share,' he said. Second Lieutenant Paul Singer was a navigator alongside Second Lieutenant Sheldon Finder, a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator 'Southern Comfort.' On August 16, 1943, during a bombing raid on a German airfield near Foggia, Italy, the aircraft was attacked and caught fire. The crew bailed out, but neither Singer nor Finder's parachutes worked. They were the only two in the unit to die in that attack, and the only two Jewish soldiers on that plane. By happenstance, they are buried right next to each other at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. Finder's tombstone was a Star of David to reflect his faith, but, for decades, Singer's grave was inadvertently marked with a Latin cross. That mistake was rectified on the same day as that of Bernstein. Finding Singer's family was a bit more challenging, since he was an only child who was orphaned at age 16. Lamm did find second cousins, who traveled to Italy to honor Singer's service and sacrifice. Cousin Jodi Reff, one of Singer's cousins, spoke at the ceremony. 'We, his living relatives, have met Paul through Operation Benjamin, where we are able to stand here 81 years after his tragic death and feel the connection as his descendants.' She calls herself a 'committed Jew' but more importantly, she said, she now knows that her cousin was too. 'Paul lived as a Jew, fought for America and the free world as a Jew, and died as a Jew,' she said, noting that now, more than 80 years later, he is finally buried as a Jew as well. Through the process of learning about Singer, Reff met other cousins whom she never knew, like Claudia Lewis. 'It puts all the pieces together,' said Lewis, standing arm in arm with Reff next to their cousin's grave. They also got to know the family of Finder, whose niece and nephew also made the trip. Even though Finder had long been buried properly, beneath a Jewish Star, no one from his family had visited, or even knew where he was buried. Jonathan Finder, Sheldon Finder's nephew, knew that his own father suffered deep grief from the death of his older brother, but didn't talk much about it with his children. 'I know that in retrospect it was probably too painful for him. He was grieving, and I feel like by being here today, I honor his quiet grieving for his entire life,'he said somberly.
CNN
24-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Operation Benjamin works to replace erroneous grave markers for Jewish American service members who died in battle
Ben Zion Bernstein served in one of the most elite fighting units in the US military during World War II – the First Special Service Force – a select group picked and put through rigorous training for among the most perilous missions. His first combat mission turned out to be his last. Bernstein, a technician fourth grade, was killed in the famous battle of Monte La Difensa on December 3, 1943, while storming a steep Italian mountain trying to overtake a Nazi stronghold. Bernstein's siblings and their descendants knew he was a war hero, but none of the details of his sacrifice. They also didn't know that despite being a proud Jew, he'd been buried under a Latin cross for more than 80 years at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy, until a historian named Shalom Lamm contacted them. Lamm is with a non-profit organization called Operation Benjamin, which works with the American Battle Monuments Commission to help find Jewish soldiers who were buried in American military cemeteries around the world under Latin crosses and correct those inadvertent errors by replacing their headstones with a Star of David. Several of Bernstein's nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews traveled to Italy this month to participate in a ceremony to honor him and replace the cross with a Star of David to represent his Jewish faith. 'It was a big part of his life. He went to a Jewish school. He was part of the Jewish organizations. He went to Palestine,' said nephew Ben Sheridan, who is named for his uncle. 'The best part is, you know, what Shalom Lamm and his organization has done to teach us so much about his legacy,' he added. The afternoon before the ceremony, the Bernstein family climbed what they called the 'easy part' of the mountain where their uncle died and saw the bunker where the Nazis threw a grenade that killed him. And a surprise guest came to meet them. Lamm invited Brad Hicks, the grandson of Major General Robert T. Frederick, a storied World War II military leader who organized, trained and led the First Special Service Force, which later became US Army Special Forces. 'When Shalom asked me if I would do this, I didn't hesitate for a moment because I knew that my grandfather would not hesitate for a moment to do this for one of his men who fell on the battlefield,' said Hicks, who traveled from Washington state to Italy for the ceremony. 'I've had the privilege of meeting many members of our special forces. They know about the Battle of Mount La Difensa. They still study it as part of their training, and they know about the greatness of the men who undertook that mission. Today's special forces embody the legacy of Ben Bernstein,' said Hicks. Lamm, whose organization has replaced more than 30 military headstones, said that many times the US military erroneously buried a Jewish service member beneath a cross because the service member intentionally left their religion off their dog tag. 'These were true errors,' Lamm explained. 'America really tried to get it right, but when you had someone who put a 'P' or a 'C' for Protestant and Catholic on their dog tag and they did that to protect themselves in case of capture.' 'If you were captured by the Germans, in particular, that was really terrifying,' Lamm added. 'I think we need to look back and think America did a great job getting this right, but they naturally missed some, and our job is to come back after all these decades and find those guys and bring this home and do the right thing,' Lamm said. Once Lamm has identified a service member who has been buried under the wrong religious symbol, he sets out doing the research to find proof of the error and the service member's closest living relatives since the only way to change a headstone in a military cemetery is with the approval of the service member's family. 'The amount of proof we're required to deliver to the American Battle Monuments Commission is really huge. It's really tough and it should be tough. We're changing something for eternity,' said Lamm. Lamm's research often gives families new information about their loved ones, like in the case of Bernstein. 'It has happened again and again and again that I introduce people to someone who's just a shadowy figure in their memory, you know. When someone is a kid and he says, 'Hey Mom, there's a black and white photo above the hearth of a guy in a uniform, was that your brother?' and Mom starts to cry and little Johnny says 'I don't want Mom to cry,' and he never asks her again,' Lamm explained. 'Then I come along, and I say, wow, because of the American Battle Monuments Commission, we know everything about this guy. We went through his high school yearbook. We knew who his girlfriend was. We know what sports he played. We know what career choices [he made]. We know everything about him. And we're introducing families to the shadowy figure and bringing them to life. They were real flesh and blood human beings, and we know that story and it's great to share,' he said. Second Lieutenant Paul Singer was a navigator alongside Second Lieutenant Sheldon Finder, a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator 'Southern Comfort.' On August 16, 1943, during a bombing raid on a German airfield near Foggia, Italy, the aircraft was attacked and caught fire. The crew bailed out, but neither Singer nor Finder's parachutes worked. They were the only two in the unit to die in that attack, and the only two Jewish soldiers on that plane. By happenstance, they are buried right next to each other at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. Finder's tombstone was a Star of David to reflect his faith, but, for decades, Singer's grave was inadvertently marked with a Latin cross. That mistake was rectified on the same day as that of Bernstein. Finding Singer's family was a bit more challenging, since he was an only child who was orphaned at age 16. Lamm did find second cousins, who traveled to Italy to honor Singer's service and sacrifice. Cousin Jodi Reff, one of Singer's cousins, spoke at the ceremony. 'We, his living relatives, have met Paul through Operation Benjamin, where we are able to stand here 81 years after his tragic death and feel the connection as his descendants.' She calls herself a 'committed Jew' but more importantly, she said, she now knows that her cousin was too. 'Paul lived as a Jew, fought for America and the free world as a Jew, and died as a Jew,' she said, noting that now, more than 80 years later, he is finally buried as a Jew as well. Through the process of learning about Singer, Reff met other cousins whom she never knew, like Claudia Lewis. 'It puts all the pieces together,' said Lewis, standing arm in arm with Reff next to their cousin's grave. They also got to know the family of Finder, whose niece and nephew also made the trip. Even though Finder had long been buried properly, beneath a Jewish Star, no one from his family had visited, or even knew where he was buried. Jonathan Finder, Sheldon Finder's nephew, knew that his own father suffered deep grief from the death of his older brother, but didn't talk much about it with his children. 'I know that in retrospect it was probably too painful for him. He was grieving, and I feel like by being here today, I honor his quiet grieving for his entire life,'he said somberly.
CNN
24-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Operation Benjamin works to replace erroneous grave markers for Jewish American service members who died in battle
Ben Zion Bernstein served in one of the most elite fighting units in the US military during World War II – the First Special Service Force – a select group picked and put through rigorous training for among the most perilous missions. His first combat mission turned out to be his last. Bernstein, a technician fourth grade, was killed in the famous battle of Monte La Difensa on December 3, 1943, while storming a steep Italian mountain trying to overtake a Nazi stronghold. Bernstein's siblings and their descendants knew he was a war hero, but none of the details of his sacrifice. They also didn't know that despite being a proud Jew, he'd been buried under a Latin cross for more than 80 years at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy, until a historian named Shalom Lamm contacted them. Lamm is with a non-profit organization called Operation Benjamin, which works with the American Battle Monuments Commission to help find Jewish soldiers who were buried in American military cemeteries around the world under Latin crosses and correct those inadvertent errors by replacing their headstones with a Star of David. Several of Bernstein's nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews traveled to Italy this month to participate in a ceremony to honor him and replace the cross with a Star of David to represent his Jewish faith. 'It was a big part of his life. He went to a Jewish school. He was part of the Jewish organizations. He went to Palestine,' said nephew Ben Sheridan, who is named for his uncle. 'The best part is, you know, what Shalom Lamm and his organization has done to teach us so much about his legacy,' he added. The afternoon before the ceremony, the Bernstein family climbed what they called the 'easy part' of the mountain where their uncle died and saw the bunker where the Nazis threw a grenade that killed him. And a surprise guest came to meet them. Lamm invited Brad Hicks, the grandson of Major General Robert T. Frederick, a storied World War II military leader who organized, trained and led the First Special Service Force, which later became US Army Special Forces. 'When Shalom asked me if I would do this, I didn't hesitate for a moment because I knew that my grandfather would not hesitate for a moment to do this for one of his men who fell on the battlefield,' said Hicks, who traveled from Washington state to Italy for the ceremony. 'I've had the privilege of meeting many members of our special forces. They know about the Battle of Mount La Difensa. They still study it as part of their training, and they know about the greatness of the men who undertook that mission. Today's special forces embody the legacy of Ben Bernstein,' said Hicks. Lamm, whose organization has replaced more than 30 military headstones, said that many times the US military erroneously buried a Jewish service member beneath a cross because the service member intentionally left their religion off their dog tag. 'These were true errors,' Lamm explained. 'America really tried to get it right, but when you had someone who put a 'P' or a 'C' for Protestant and Catholic on their dog tag and they did that to protect themselves in case of capture.' 'If you were captured by the Germans, in particular, that was really terrifying,' Lamm added. 'I think we need to look back and think America did a great job getting this right, but they naturally missed some, and our job is to come back after all these decades and find those guys and bring this home and do the right thing,' Lamm said. Once Lamm has identified a service member who has been buried under the wrong religious symbol, he sets out doing the research to find proof of the error and the service member's closest living relatives since the only way to change a headstone in a military cemetery is with the approval of the service member's family. 'The amount of proof we're required to deliver to the American Battle Monuments Commission is really huge. It's really tough and it should be tough. We're changing something for eternity,' said Lamm. Lamm's research often gives families new information about their loved ones, like in the case of Bernstein. 'It has happened again and again and again that I introduce people to someone who's just a shadowy figure in their memory, you know. When someone is a kid and he says, 'Hey Mom, there's a black and white photo above the hearth of a guy in a uniform, was that your brother?' and Mom starts to cry and little Johnny says 'I don't want Mom to cry,' and he never asks her again,' Lamm explained. 'Then I come along, and I say, wow, because of the American Battle Monuments Commission, we know everything about this guy. We went through his high school yearbook. We knew who his girlfriend was. We know what sports he played. We know what career choices [he made]. We know everything about him. And we're introducing families to the shadowy figure and bringing them to life. They were real flesh and blood human beings, and we know that story and it's great to share,' he said. Second Lieutenant Paul Singer was a navigator alongside Second Lieutenant Sheldon Finder, a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator 'Southern Comfort.' On August 16, 1943, during a bombing raid on a German airfield near Foggia, Italy, the aircraft was attacked and caught fire. The crew bailed out, but neither Singer nor Finder's parachutes worked. They were the only two in the unit to die in that attack, and the only two Jewish soldiers on that plane. By happenstance, they are buried right next to each other at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. Finder's tombstone was a Star of David to reflect his faith, but, for decades, Singer's grave was inadvertently marked with a Latin cross. That mistake was rectified on the same day as that of Bernstein. Finding Singer's family was a bit more challenging, since he was an only child who was orphaned at age 16. Lamm did find second cousins, who traveled to Italy to honor Singer's service and sacrifice. Cousin Jodi Reff, one of Singer's cousins, spoke at the ceremony. 'We, his living relatives, have met Paul through Operation Benjamin, where we are able to stand here 81 years after his tragic death and feel the connection as his descendants.' She calls herself a 'committed Jew' but more importantly, she said, she now knows that her cousin was too. 'Paul lived as a Jew, fought for America and the free world as a Jew, and died as a Jew,' she said, noting that now, more than 80 years later, he is finally buried as a Jew as well. Through the process of learning about Singer, Reff met other cousins whom she never knew, like Claudia Lewis. 'It puts all the pieces together,' said Lewis, standing arm in arm with Reff next to their cousin's grave. They also got to know the family of Finder, whose niece and nephew also made the trip. Even though Finder had long been buried properly, beneath a Jewish Star, no one from his family had visited, or even knew where he was buried. Jonathan Finder, Sheldon Finder's nephew, knew that his own father suffered deep grief from the death of his older brother, but didn't talk much about it with his children. 'I know that in retrospect it was probably too painful for him. He was grieving, and I feel like by being here today, I honor his quiet grieving for his entire life,'he said somberly.
CNN
24-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Operation Benjamin works to replace erroneous grave markers for Jewish American service members who died in battle
Ben Zion Bernstein served in one of the most elite fighting units in the US military during World War II – the First Special Service Force – a select group picked and put through rigorous training for among the most perilous missions. His first combat mission turned out to be his last. Bernstein, a technician fourth grade, was killed in the famous battle of Monte La Difensa on December 3, 1943, while storming a steep Italian mountain trying to overtake a Nazi stronghold. Bernstein's siblings and their descendants knew he was a war hero, but none of the details of his sacrifice. They also didn't know that despite being a proud Jew, he'd been buried under a Latin cross for more than 80 years at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy, until a historian named Shalom Lamm contacted them. Lamm is with a non-profit organization called Operation Benjamin, which works with the American Battle Monuments Commission to help find Jewish soldiers who were buried in American military cemeteries around the world under Latin crosses and correct those inadvertent errors by replacing their headstones with a Star of David. Several of Bernstein's nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews traveled to Italy this month to participate in a ceremony to honor him and replace the cross with a Star of David to represent his Jewish faith. 'It was a big part of his life. He went to a Jewish school. He was part of the Jewish organizations. He went to Palestine,' said nephew Ben Sheridan, who is named for his uncle. 'The best part is, you know, what Shalom Lamm and his organization has done to teach us so much about his legacy,' he added. The afternoon before the ceremony, the Bernstein family climbed what they called the 'easy part' of the mountain where their uncle died and saw the bunker where the Nazis threw a grenade that killed him. And a surprise guest came to meet them. Lamm invited Brad Hicks, the grandson of Major General Robert T. Frederick, a storied World War II military leader who organized, trained and led the First Special Service Force, which later became US Army Special Forces. 'When Shalom asked me if I would do this, I didn't hesitate for a moment because I knew that my grandfather would not hesitate for a moment to do this for one of his men who fell on the battlefield,' said Hicks, who traveled from Washington state to Italy for the ceremony. 'I've had the privilege of meeting many members of our special forces. They know about the Battle of Mount La Difensa. They still study it as part of their training, and they know about the greatness of the men who undertook that mission. Today's special forces embody the legacy of Ben Bernstein,' said Hicks. Lamm, whose organization has replaced more than 30 military headstones, said that many times the US military erroneously buried a Jewish service member beneath a cross because the service member intentionally left their religion off their dog tag. 'These were true errors,' Lamm explained. 'America really tried to get it right, but when you had someone who put a 'P' or a 'C' for Protestant and Catholic on their dog tag and they did that to protect themselves in case of capture.' 'If you were captured by the Germans, in particular, that was really terrifying,' Lamm added. 'I think we need to look back and think America did a great job getting this right, but they naturally missed some, and our job is to come back after all these decades and find those guys and bring this home and do the right thing,' Lamm said. Once Lamm has identified a service member who has been buried under the wrong religious symbol, he sets out doing the research to find proof of the error and the service member's closest living relatives since the only way to change a headstone in a military cemetery is with the approval of the service member's family. 'The amount of proof we're required to deliver to the American Battle Monuments Commission is really huge. It's really tough and it should be tough. We're changing something for eternity,' said Lamm. Lamm's research often gives families new information about their loved ones, like in the case of Bernstein. 'It has happened again and again and again that I introduce people to someone who's just a shadowy figure in their memory, you know. When someone is a kid and he says, 'Hey Mom, there's a black and white photo above the hearth of a guy in a uniform, was that your brother?' and Mom starts to cry and little Johnny says 'I don't want Mom to cry,' and he never asks her again,' Lamm explained. 'Then I come along, and I say, wow, because of the American Battle Monuments Commission, we know everything about this guy. We went through his high school yearbook. We knew who his girlfriend was. We know what sports he played. We know what career choices [he made]. We know everything about him. And we're introducing families to the shadowy figure and bringing them to life. They were real flesh and blood human beings, and we know that story and it's great to share,' he said. Second Lieutenant Paul Singer was a navigator alongside Second Lieutenant Sheldon Finder, a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator 'Southern Comfort.' On August 16, 1943, during a bombing raid on a German airfield near Foggia, Italy, the aircraft was attacked and caught fire. The crew bailed out, but neither Singer nor Finder's parachutes worked. They were the only two in the unit to die in that attack, and the only two Jewish soldiers on that plane. By happenstance, they are buried right next to each other at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. Finder's tombstone was a Star of David to reflect his faith, but, for decades, Singer's grave was inadvertently marked with a Latin cross. That mistake was rectified on the same day as that of Bernstein. Finding Singer's family was a bit more challenging, since he was an only child who was orphaned at age 16. Lamm did find second cousins, who traveled to Italy to honor Singer's service and sacrifice. Cousin Jodi Reff, one of Singer's cousins, spoke at the ceremony. 'We, his living relatives, have met Paul through Operation Benjamin, where we are able to stand here 81 years after his tragic death and feel the connection as his descendants.' She calls herself a 'committed Jew' but more importantly, she said, she now knows that her cousin was too. 'Paul lived as a Jew, fought for America and the free world as a Jew, and died as a Jew,' she said, noting that now, more than 80 years later, he is finally buried as a Jew as well. Through the process of learning about Singer, Reff met other cousins whom she never knew, like Claudia Lewis. 'It puts all the pieces together,' said Lewis, standing arm in arm with Reff next to their cousin's grave. They also got to know the family of Finder, whose niece and nephew also made the trip. Even though Finder had long been buried properly, beneath a Jewish Star, no one from his family had visited, or even knew where he was buried. Jonathan Finder, Sheldon Finder's nephew, knew that his own father suffered deep grief from the death of his older brother, but didn't talk much about it with his children. 'I know that in retrospect it was probably too painful for him. He was grieving, and I feel like by being here today, I honor his quiet grieving for his entire life,'he said somberly.
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The forgotten story of France's greatest war hero
The rain started as we entered the vast cemetery in Avignon. We were seeking France's greatest unsung war hero or, rather, his final resting place We had brought no umbrella to the search. Of course not. This was the south of France in May. Then the Avignon sky truly darkened, furious with thunder and lightning, and we arrived pretty drenched at our goal: the tomb of Albert Séverin Roche. The scrawny, bolshy son of a Provençal farmer, Roche was, without much doubt, the finest French soldier of the 20th century. Certainly, he was 'the premier soldier of France' in the First World War. Maréchal Ferdinand Foch, head of Allied forces in 1918, hailed him as such. Almost equally certainly, and despite a chest full of medals for barely-credible exploits, Roche is all but forgotten – even in his home region, even by people who maybe should remember. He has been recalled recently only in an obscure comic book published last year – and, unexpectedly perhaps, in a 2023 song by a Swedish heavy metal band specialising in war-themed anthems (see below). Somehow, then, it seemed fitting that we contemplated his grave in a spring thunderstorm. We'd been seeking him for a while, and thunderstorms are as close as you get in Avignon these days to the crash of war. We could just make out the plaque through the rain. Roche, it said, had been born in Réauville 130 years before, on March 5, 1895. Réauville is 50 miles north of Avignon, a sinuous stone village of 400 souls isolated in the Drôme Provençale countryside of vines and lavender, woodland and distant Alps. There's a bust of Roche erected outside the town hall and, 150 yards away, a memorial stèle. Flanked by cypress trees, it's across from the Roche family farmhouse. The charming lady in the village bistro, Au Petit Bonheur, was aware that Albert Roche was 'Réauville's claim to fame' but knew nothing else about the chap. She had this in common with 99.99 per cent of France. Humble beginnings What I knew was that, against all odds, Roche was a solid-gold hero, the sort whose story humbles almost everyone else. It started effectively in 1914. Albert Roche's dad didn't want him to leave the village to join up: he was needed on the farm. Being a headstrong chap, he snuck off anyway. After initial rejection by recruiters for being too puny, Roche was accepted into the light infantry. He proved an impatient, volatile trainee who, tired of faffing about far from the action, went AWOL. He was quickly caught and punished by being sent to the front line, which had been his wish all along. Assigned to the 27th Battalion, Chasseurs Alpins, he was soon on the Aisne front, single-handedly knocking out a German machine-gun blockhouse after creeping up to drop grenades down the chimney of its stove. He killed several of the soldiers inside and took eight prisoners. Taking prisoners became a speciality. Captured himself on one occasion, Roche overcame his guarding German officer, stole his pistol and bade all surrounding Germans surrender. He returned to French lines with 40 German POWs and it is suggested that, by the end of the war, he had taken some 1,200 prisoners. His reputation for both potentially suicidal missions and ingenuity grew. In the Vosges mountains of Alsace, he was, in his trench, the sole survivor of pre-attack German shelling. Rather than flee, as might be expected, he grabbed the guns of dead comrades, lined them up along the edge of the trench and raced from one to the next, firing each in turn. Hence, or so the story goes, the attackers gained the impression of a position well-defended and retreated. Back in the Aisne on the Chemin des Dames in 1917, following another catastrophic advance, Roche rescued his wounded captain. He inched across open mud and dragged the fellow back to French lines. It apparently took him 10 hours of effort. As a result, he fell asleep, utterly exhausted, in a shell hole, far from his unit. A patrol came across him, assumed he was a deserter, refused to credit his explanation and, in short order, had him condemned to death. He was made to face the firing squad when word came from the officer, now returned to consciousness, that Roche was telling the truth. 'Legendary bravery' Roche continued to fight for France, a country which had come close to executing him, and the daring feats stacked up. As, indeed, did the war wounds (he was shot nine times and even extracted a bullet from his lower jaw). And the medals – he was awarded the Médaille Militaire, the Croix de Guerre and the Légion-d'Honneur. It was the Légion-d'Honneur for which Gen Louis de Maud'huy cited Roche thus: 'An infantryman whose bravery is legendary… [he] did not hesitate in the face of danger, triumphed over all difficulties, showed decisiveness and conscientiousness above all praise.' When the French finally liberated Alsace from the Germans, Foch requested Roche join him on the balcony of Strasbourg town hall. From there, the French general told the assembled crowd: 'Alsaciens, I present to you your liberator, Albert Roche. He is the premier soldier of France.' And yet, remarkably, Roche had never risen above the rank of private. But his renown persisted in the immediate post-war period. In 1920, he was one of seven servicemen to accompany the coffin of the Unknown Soldier to its final destination, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Five years later in May 1925 – 100 years ago – he formed part of a small contingent of French military men attending the London funeral of Field Marshal Sir John French and was later invited to dine with George V. Subsequently (and sadly), however, Roche faded into the background, as many First World War heroes usually did. He married a woman local to Réauville, fathered a child, worked at his in-laws' farm, then as a road mender. Later, he moved 40 miles south to Sorgues – a small working town near Avignon – taking up as a job as a fireman in a gunpowder factory. It was during his time working at the gunpowder factory that he tragically died on April 14, 1939, when he stepped off the bus and was hit by a car, thrown against a tree, and killed. He was 44. He was buried in the local cemetery and is now honoured with a plaque in Sorgues' municipal park, near the children's play area. It takes some finding but there'll usually be some elderly men walking dogs in the park, and they will often point the way to the plaque. For reasons unknown, Roche's remains were transferred eight miles down the road in 1967 to Avignon's St Véran cemetery. To be precise: carré 40, Nord row, tomb 15. And that's where we were, amid 12,000 tombs, when the rain suddenly stopped. Two more graves to track down The cemetery of St Véran is also the final resting place of the political philosopher John Stuart Mill and his wife, feminist writer Harriet Taylor Mill. The couple had been staying in Avignon's Hotel d'Europe (which still exists) in 1858 when Harriet died of a pulmonary haemorrhage. John was so distraught that he bought a small house overlooking the cemetery, where he in turn died in 1873. Buried there, too, is Pierre Boulle, the Avignon-born engineer who wrote Planet of the Apes and The Bridge over the River Kwai. He worked in Indo-China, sided with the Free French in the Second World War, was captured, subjected to forced labour (the basis for his novel The Bridge over the River Kwai), escaped and worked with Britain's Far-East SOE (Special Operations Executive). Stay here Try the five-star La Mirande, an elegant establishment behind the Palais de Papes, imprinted with much of the grand history of Avignon (off-season doubles from £413). Tighter budgets might opt for the Hotel de Cambis (doubles from £109) or the small and charming two-star Hotel Boquier, in a fine 18th-century building ( doubles from £73). Eat here Apart from the hotels mentioned above, you might also head for Avignon's La Fourchette, a point-of-reference family-run bistro that serves Provençal food. Listen to this Swedish heavy-metal band Sabaton specialise in war-related songs. Listen to their version of the Albert Roche story. Read this The French-language comic book Albert Roche tells his story in comic-book style (published by Bamboo, as part of its Grand Angle series). Buy it at La Crognote Rieuse bookshop at 40 Rue de la Bonneterie.
