Martyrs-de-Vingré Street

Here you are on Rue des Martyrs-de-Vingré, a quiet pedestrian street lined with shops and window displays, where you might stroll without ever thinking about the story behind its name. And yet… this name tells of an injustice that became a powerful symbol in the memory of the First World War. December 1914, in northern France. The conflict had barely begun, but already generals sought to enforce discipline through fear. In Vingré, in the Aisne, a section of soldiers from the 298th Infantry Regiment was caught in a German attack. Under fire, they fell back, following the orders of a second lieutenant. Nothing heroic, perhaps, but nothing shameful either. They simply obeyed. And yet, a few days later, six of them were sentenced to death for abandoning their post. Chosen completely at random, the “six on the far right” during a re-enactment, they were executed as an example. Two were from the Loire, just nearby. It would take seven years, and the tireless fight of their families, for justice to be done. In 1921, the six men were finally cleared of all charges. Their honor restored, they deserved a place in the public space. That same year, the city of Saint-Étienne renamed the former Rue Saint-Jacques as Rue des Fusillés-de-Vingré. The name would change again, with shifting regimes, before becoming permanent in 1944: Rue des Martyrs-de-Vingré. Now, at the heart of your Saint-Étienne walk, take a moment to remember them.