It took former Hautlieu teacher Cyd Le Bail a year and numerous emails and phone calls to the town’s mayor – as well as letters to various government departments in Paris – before Alexandre Le Bail’s name was added to the war memorial in Trévou-Tréguignec.
‘I was unhappy that his name was not on the town’s monument aux morts, and, as my inherited Breton stubbornness kept gnawing away at me, I decided to pursue the matter,’ Mr Le Bail said.
Alexandre was born in Trévou-Tréguignec in 1890 and, like many Breton people, came to Jersey every year to work on farms. One year the Le Bails stayed and made their home in St Ouen.
Although Alexandre spent most of his life in the Island he retained his French nationality, so when war broke out in August 1914 he was called up.
Over 6,000 French nationals were living in Jersey in 1914 and more than 2,500 fought in the French forces.
Not many of the French-born Islanders who were killed are remembered on parish memorials – or at the Cenotaph in the Parade – as they were not Jersey-born and had not served under the British flag.
However, they are commemorated on a memorial in St Thomas’ Church.
Alexandre was killed in September 2014, aged 24, fighting at Charleville, on the Marne, and was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Mr Le Bail said that it had not been until the centenary of Alexandre’s death was drawing near that he had decided he should pay his respects at the war memorial in the family’s home town, only to discover his uncle’s death had been overlooked.
He said he had been determined to rectify the omission.
Eventually he heard from the French Ministry of Defence that it is law in France that all citizens killed in the service of their country have to be commemorated on war memorials.
As Alexandre was born in Trévou-Tréguignec the town’s authorities had to add his name to its memorial.
‘I wrote to the Trévou-Tréguignec town hall asking when I could expect to see Alexandre’s name on the monument.
‘It took a few months, and a few persistent inquiries, but they finally informed me that the job was done,’ he said.
‘We went back in September to see the monument and to thank them. It was a great feeling of satisfaction to see his name there.’
