This monument pays tribute to the soldiers of the 8th Company of the 20th Battalion of Chasseurs à Pied (Foot Chasseurs), whose depot was in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, who fell victim to a rail disaster during the 1870 war between France and Germany. During this conflict, the Critot commune was close to the front line, and there was intense fighting for control of the railroad lines.
Following the defeat at Sedan and the advance of the Prussians, troops were moved to regroup. The 20th Battalion of Chasseurs à Pied, with 330 men, left Boulogne-sur-Mer to join the Loire army. On the night of October 3 to 4, 1870, after a stop at Amiens station, the train continued towards Motteville, passed Montérolier-Buchy and headed for Clères. Arriving near Critot station at around midnight, the train was mistakenly switched to a siding at high speed. The collision with the embankment at the end of the track derailed the locomotive and 5 wagons. The accident left 14 dead and around a hundred injured, who were treated locally by the local population and doctors, supplemented by reinforcements from Amiens at dawn. The injured were then transported to Rouen hospital.
The event, which was not very glorious, was censored, but the town of Critot, still reeling from the disaster, decided to raise funds to build a commemorative monument, which was erected in 1890.
This monument would then join those erected throughout the country as a memorial to those who had fallen for the French homeland.
In 2023, Critot?s 1870 War memorial will be awarded the Label Patrimoine Rural (Rural Heritage Label), shedding new light on this tragic event in the Seine-Maritime region.
Following the defeat at Sedan and the advance of the Prussians, troops were moved to regroup. The 20th Battalion of Chasseurs à Pied, with 330 men, left Boulogne-sur-Mer to join the Loire army. On the night of October 3 to 4, 1870, after a stop at Amiens station, the train continued towards Motteville, passed Montérolier-Buchy and headed for Clères. Arriving near Critot station at around midnight, the train was mistakenly switched to a siding at high speed. The collision with the embankment at the end of the track derailed the locomotive and 5 wagons. The accident left 14 dead and around a hundred injured, who were treated locally by the local population and doctors, supplemented by reinforcements from Amiens at dawn. The injured were then transported to Rouen hospital.
The event, which was not very glorious, was censored, but the town of Critot, still reeling from the disaster, decided to raise funds to build a commemorative monument, which was erected in 1890.
This monument would then join those erected throughout the country as a memorial to those who had fallen for the French homeland.
In 2023, Critot?s 1870 War memorial will be awarded the Label Patrimoine Rural (Rural Heritage Label), shedding new light on this tragic event in the Seine-Maritime region.
