Down this road in the summer of 1944 the soldiers came, nobody lives here now… but Oradour-sur-Glane has risen from the ashes.
For those of us of a certain vintage, Laurence Olivier’s haunting introduction to his groundbreaking Seventies series World At War was our introduction to World War II.
And it was the genius of the programme-makers to choose Oradour to stand for every community that was lost to us in those years.
And Charles de Gaulle, and in particular the people of Aquitaine, who preserved the village as it was in summer 1944 and is now.
Onward from D-Day
Oradour in south-west France, held a fascination for this Scots schoolboy, for whom history was the only class to hold his interest.
And still does as I enquired again of Oradour from the French delegation on the latest round of visits around UK cities last week to showcase France to our travel pack.
History is, of course, always with us but never more so than we commemorate an anniversary.
With the 80th year since the D-Day landings bringing the last remaining survivors and the world’s dignitaries to Normandy.
Lest we forget Oradour
Their duty done, those global leaders have now moved on.
But for those soldiers who landed in Northern France that day back on June 8 there were more battles to fight.
Before they finally defeated Adolf Hitler’s Nazis the following April.
Their backs to the wall, Hitler’s goons, took retribution against those who had resisted them.
And so they ordered the massacre of the 644 inhabitants of Oradour, the men in barns and women and children in church, on June 10.
In retaliation for the killing of SS officer Helmut Kampfe.
The Centre de la Mémoire
It is history tourists who now come down this road, the road to Limoges.
For those who know, they will pay homage to the villagers of Oradour.
Visit the Centre de la Mémoire and the Martyr Village.
The centre will close tomorrow, June 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the massacre.
Few foreign dignitaries will be in Oradour that day to pay tribute to the victims.
Moderne et ancien Aquitaine
But the residents of the new commune of Oradour near the original village which Olivier reminds us stood for 1,000 years, will be there and will honour them.
And just by existing and continuing they have proven that humanity had prevailed over the nihilism of the Nazis.
And that Oradour-sur-Glane has risen from the ashes.
For the future generations to and show off the charms of moderne and ancien Aquitaine.
All of which we can enjoy for ourselves with Ryanair flights from a range of British airports to Limoges and further afield… London Stanstead to Limoges from £13.53.
And which we will, of course, share with all of you.