This monument was erected in 1928, after a subscription launched by the departments of the South-West of France. It recalls the battles in which the regiments of the 36th Infantry Division took part (notably the 18th RI of Pau, the 34th RI of Mont-de-Marsan, the 14th Artillery Regiment of Tarbes).
The statue represents a peasant from the South-West in traditional costume and wearing a Basque beret. Turning his back to the former battlefield, the figure looks eternally towards his native land. The sculptor Claude Grange has chosen to move away from the military heroism in vogue at the time…
Note that since September 2017 stands next to this monument the international memorial to the rugby players who died during the First World War (in the form of a sculpture made by the former captain of the XV de France, Jean-Pierre Rives).
