Plaque commémorative Joseph POMAROLA Mémorial de guerre:plaque

Joseph Pomarola. A name etched on a plaque, a testament to a life interwoven with resilience, service, and ultimately, tragedy. Here at the Plaque commémorative Joseph POMAROLA, we uncover a story that stretches from the sun-drenched streets of Perpignan to the horrors of Buchenwald. Joseph, born in 1878, began his career in the police force in Marseille. He later served as a commissaire in Nice, his life dedicated to upholding the law and order of his beloved France. This plaque, however, speaks not of his professional life, but of his courageous defiance during the darkest hours of World War II. Joseph Pomarola, a man already in his sixties, joined the Resistance movement in Perpignan. He became a key figure in the Franc-Tireur movement, even leading the departmental directory of the United Resistance Movements. His bravery, his refusal to bow to tyranny, placed him directly in the crosshairs of the Gestapo. Arrested in a devastating raid in May 1943, Joseph’s fight for freedom took a tragic turn. He was deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp on January 17, 1944. He endured the unimaginable for over a year, his spirit unbroken. Though Buchenwald was liberated on April 11, 1945, Joseph’s ordeal had taken its toll. He died just days later, on April 19th, so close to freedom yet tragically beyond its reach. The Plaque commémorative Joseph POMAROLA stands not just as a marker of his death, but as a tribute to his life. A life dedicated to service, to resistance, and to the unwavering hope of a free France. He was posthumously awarded the distinction of “Mort pour la France,” a testament to his sacrifice. This plaque serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the indomitable spirit of those who resist oppression.