Five figures stand defiant. They are the Fusillés Lillois. This Rue des Fusillés in Lille is their enduring memorial. This street is more than just a road. It’s a silent testament to courage and sacrifice during the First World War.
The Rue des Fusillés doesn’t have a long history itself. Its name commemorates a poignant event. Five Lille citizens resisted the German occupation. They chose freedom over submission. They faced a firing squad.
Their story began with the occupation of Lille. This was in 1914. A resistance group formed. It was called the Comité Jacquet. Eugène Jacquet a wine merchant led the group. He was a secretary for the Northern Federation of the League of Human Rights. He and his associates helped Allied soldiers escape. They spied on the enemy.
Their actions were discovered. The Germans arrested Eugène Jacquet. They also arrested Georges Maertens Ernest Deconninck and Sylvère Verhulst. They arrested Jacquet’s daughter. The Comité Jacquet members were condemned to death. They refused blindfolds. Their last words were cries for France liberty and Belgium.
A young student Léon Trulin shared their fate. He was executed separately for espionage. The Rue des Fusillés remembers all five. The monument to these five heroes was initially part of a larger war memorial project. It became a stand-alone tribute in 1924. It was created by Félix-Alexandre Desruelles.
The monument was deliberately destroyed by the Germans during World War II. They considered it offensive. They used picks to smash the heads and legs. However they left the defiant pose of the four standing figures intact. Germaine Oury-Desruelles the sculptor’s widow rebuilt it. The reconstruction was completed in 1960.
Today the Rue des Fusillés is quiet. Yet its name speaks volumes. It reminds us of the bravery of ordinary people. They stood up against oppression. They paid the ultimate price. Their legacy lives on in this street. In Lille their sacrifice is remembered. Their defiance inspires. This is the powerful story of the Rue des Fusillés.