The Secrets of the Iron Village Churchyard
It may look like any other French village churchyard but appearances can be deceptive. Side by side in death, buried here are some of the women from opposing sides of the Iron 12 story. The tragedy played out in the village of Iron affected many people; not just the soldiers but civilians too. Especially hard-hit were the families in the village of Iron who sheltered the soldiers. At great personal risk, they came to the aid of the soldiers and suffered the consequences of their brave actions. However, there was also a minority of locals who were colluding with the occupying Germans and who actively helped the Germans discover the soldiers’ hiding place in Iron.
Germaine, if you remember the Iron12 story,
https://iron12.org/the-story-part-1 was the daughter of Vincent Chalandre, who first came to the aid of the soldiers. After the soldiers were captured by the Germans, as punishment, Germaine and her mother were sent to the Delitsch Prisoner of War camp in Germany. After the war, Germaine and her mother, in poor health, returned to Iron. Germaine lived in Iron until her death in 1982. She married Maurice Delcher, a successful business man, who is also buried here, but his name is not marked on the gravestone. They had one son, Jean, who died at the age of 26 of poliomyelitis.
Next to her grave is that of:
Jeanne Logez and Léonie Logez
Léonie Logez and her husband owned the mill in Iron and she allowed the soldiers to shelter there before they were later moved to safer accommodation. Jeanne was her daughter and she played a key part in helping to feed and generally look after the soldiers. Both were sent to the Delitsch Prisoner of War camp in Germany and their health suffered greatly.
Jeanne later married André L’Hermitte, the village postman. She died in 1987, aged 88 years old. Her grandson, Andre Gruselle, was Mayor of Iron for more than 40 years. Her mother, Léonie Logez, is believed to be buried here.
Nearby is Blanche Griselin’s grave. Her maiden name was Blanche Marechal and in 1914/1915, she was an important corner of the love triangle that led to the soldiers’ betrayal. She is buried here with son, Léon.
So, some 100-plus years later, the graves of some of those involved in both sides of the story, remain together in the same churchyard in the village where the drama unfolded.