Shared values

Since its creation in 1944, the values shared by the members of the association have been based on a triptych: to honour, to show solidarity and to transmit.

To honour. Steles and plaques, topped by the chamois, the emblem of the FFI of the Vercors, were gradually distributed throughout the massif. To bury the bodies of the victims, the association built three necropolises and maintained them from 1947 to 2018: Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte (Isère), Chichilianne (Isère) and Vassieux-en-Vercors (Drôme), a unique case in France. Each year the association honours the civilian and military dead.

Showing solidarity. The actions of Eugène Chavant, civilian leader of the Vercors, known as Clément, founding president of the association until his death in 1969, were oriented towards solidarity. Successive presidents have continued his work. In addition to friendship, it is a desire to help those in difficulty or the families of the missing, particularly widows and orphans. Even before the creation of the association, in September 1944, those who had become “ex-maquis” helped each other financially, to find a job and to face the difficulties of reconstruction. As soon as it was created in November 1944, the association paid out aid until the 1970s within the framework of a solidarity commission chaired by Georges Baudry, a doctor and Resistance fighter from Grenoble. These values of solidarity, even if they are expressed differently today, continue to represent one of the mainstays of the association’s activity.

Passing on. Since 1944, the transmission of values from the Resistance to the younger generations has been a permanent challenge. Children have always been associated with commemorative events. From the beginning, article 1 of the association’s statutes stipulated: “that the amicale pursues the goal of giving our young generation the spirit of sacrifice that animated our beautiful resistance from 1940 to 1944”. This desire was reflected in the creation of a holiday camp called the “Clémentine” set up in Saint-Julien-en-Vercors in the 1950s. In the summer, it welcomed around 120 children, some free of charge. Georges Baudry noted in this respect: “If your children are called upon one day to continue your work, they will have learned to become Vercors within our camp”.

This desire to pass on information is expressed today through contributions to scientific publications and through the communication choices that have led to the creation of this website and the association’s Facebook page.

These values of respect, solidarity and attention to youth allow the association to express itself on the imperative of respecting individual and collective freedoms in today’s world.

They have been the basis of the association’s activities since its creation. These values, which it draws from its history, unite its members and are the basis of the association’s place in the modern world.

The message of the volunteer fighters of the Vercors has retained all its acuity. There is no future without memory.