Monday, 3 March 2014

Fountain 34 Capitaine Vincens Herve' Barjols 10 August


Tucked somewhat incongruously at the end of a humble leafy square was this monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers of WW1. These are not fighting men engaged in battle. These are men at ease, their guns hang over their shoulders or rest on the ground. They chat, drink tea, conspire, console, joke and engage with their dog. They appear to be normal men, responding with their different emotions to their shared plight. The more time I spent looking, the more I wondered if they were waiting in the trenches for action or waiting in the after life for some sense to be made of it all. A couple of the men stare out at the viewer. And of course they would only be young, a similar age to my own son. Their hollowed eyes accentuated the distance between us. Their look saying, without judgement, "you can never understand how I feel, how we feel". And that is true, I and we will never understand.




                                                                            detail
   



                                                               
                                          another fountain with metal bars to rest a bucket





                                
                                        and another lavoir surmounted with a house plant


   
                         
                                   and another lavoir with separate drinking water fountain



                                                 and another water trough style fountain

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