I am becoming sentimental again, and even if mentioned in previous post do not have one alone on it and it so richly deserves one me think. I like to tell you a bit on the village of Varreddes. A family gathering for several years while visiting and early living in my belle France, Therefore, this is my take on my sentimental Varreddes !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The village of Varreddes is located in the dept 77 of Seine-et-Marne in the Île-de-France region of my belle France, It is 7 km from Meaux, 64 km from Paris, 85 km from Versailles,and 534 km from current house,Two other villages dear to me nearby as well are Chambry at 5 km ,and Étrepilly at 4 km, The D405 dir Soissons passed in front of the American Memorial of Meaux (see post), and the Museum of the Great War of the Pays de Meaux.(see post) The village is decorated with the 1914-1918 war cross on November 29, 1920.
The reason I am doing this post is because my dear late wife Martine had good friends here and when I came along of course, visit them and share get together meals with them as well as my parents over the years visiting and been near in Versailles, Since they as well as my parents and wife have passed away and this is my rendition to their friendship of my family, You will see in the pictures the couple and their daughter together with my wife Martine, our twin sons, and Dad Elio.
Things to see here are an interesting spot to see if with a car or bike because this village was in the middle of the 17C, thought out by Pierre-Paul Riquet, Baron de Bonrepos and engineer from the Canal du Midi, proposed to bring the Ourcq to Paris by a navigable channel, to the current place de la Nation. His death in 1680 and the disgrace of his protector Colbert aborted this project, which was very expensive. We find in Varreddes traces of digging of the primitive bed of this channel undertaken by Riquet, You, also, have an interesting island in the middle of the Marne river, this is the île aux Bœufs that belongs to Varreddes. It extends over a little more than 150 meters in length for a maximum width of less than 72 meters. Church of Saint-Vincent-et-Saint-Arnould (13-16C. On the 19C, the old western facade was demolished (1878) and rebuilt, a staircase was built in a turret, to reach the bell tower.
A bit of history tell us that it was in 1112 that appeared for the first written form of the village: Varedæ. The parish church under the invocation of St Arnoul belongs to the diocese of Meaux. The hospice founded in 1238 for the help of the poor at home is still served by sisters of charity that bishop Bossuet had installed in 1692. These sisters also hold a girls’s school. The village had some vines, until 1840, on January 22, the St Vincent was celebrated, the Patron of the winegrowers. The winegrowers hung grapes to the statue of the saint.
However, the real history here came in the Great War or WWI I will try to translate a bit from the village page here as I like the history and appreciate the sacrifice, The story goes that on September 1, 1914 at 10h30, despite the night, the order was given to the inhabitants by the postal receiver to evacuate Varreddes. In a bowl between the Marne and the Ourcq canal, From September 2 to 3 in the morning, many retrieving British troops cross the village. On September 4, it is the Uhlans’ turn to enter the village, plundering the abandoned houses, they are aggressive, demanding, sometimes very harsh towards the rare villagers who remained there. On September 5, surprised on their right flank by the French infantrymen of General Maunoury, the rearguard of the German army of General Von Kluck established a line of defense on the heights of the Ourcq Canal. On September 6, at 03h30, the troops of the 2nd German army corps of General von Linsingen took up position on the heights and install heavy artillery. He is joined by the 4th reserve army corps of General Von Gronau, on Côte 107 (road D405). The French are opposite on the Chambry-Barcy line and, taking their time, the infantrymen turn into diggers and dig what become the first real trenches of the Great War. They are garnished with machine guns as well as 77mm batteries. These trenches roughly form a triangle, with Varreddes as a pivot. The main front extends from Côte 107 to Côte 113 (dirt road bordered by poplars, Entrepilly and the road to Meaux-Varreddes) in the direction of Gué-à-Tresmes. These trenches constitute positions for machine guns, 77mm cannons, sustainment for ammunition and summary shelters for the troops. This solid defensive system, run by many German soldiers, is an insurmountable barrier between the 6th French army and the Ourcq. From these entrenchments on the set between Chambry and Barcy, the Germans have a dominant view of the French troops thus easily pushing their offensives. On September 7, 1914, around 21h, the 1st Moroccan skirmishers battalion by Commander Poeymirau tried to invest the Varreddes ridge, but under the fire of German machine guns, they had to fall back. A counterattack, will force them to withdraw at the foot of this hill, towards Chambry on the Ferme de la Cantine (canteen farm) and the Briqueterie ( brickyard), route de Meaux. On September 9, the enemy abandoned hill 107 and participated from the German general retirement. The population of Varreddes pays a heavy price during this Battle of the Marne: 16 men taken as hostages and taken. 9 hostages including the parish priest Fossin are massacred, 2 died of exhaustion during their internment. Only 5 come back from the internment camps.
The village of Varreddes on presentation : https://varreddes.fr/presentation-de-la-commune/
The circuit battle of the Marne WWI : https://www.circuit-bataille-marne1914.fr/index.php/decouvrir-le-circuit/le-circuit-en-voiture
There you go folks, as said my blog is my life’s history ,here is a bit more of it, An off the beaten path village of my belle France, worth the detour for the history of it, me think. Again, hope you enjoy this post on my sentimental Varreddes !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 