Original D-Day Monuments of the Liberty Highway

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Original D-Day Monuments of the Liberty Highway

About the Item

The “Liberty Highway” History: Soon after the end of the Second World War, Mr Guy de la Vasselais, French liaison officer to General George Patton, suggested the IDEA of erecting a monument to commemorate the Liberation of France by the American Armies, and to honor the soldiers who sacrificed much in so doing: a monument that would symbolize the IDEA of Liberty. However, he thought that a single monument would be inappropriate to express the immense gratitude of the French people toward their Liberators. He therefore suggested the installation of a distinctive marker placed at each kilometer interval along the roads followed by General Patton’s III rd Army. Beginning at Utah Beach in Normandy and ending at Bastogne in Belgium, the Liberty Highway goes through the cities of Saint Malo, Rennes, Angers, Le Mans, Chartres, Fontainebleau, Reims, Verdun and Metz, and then through the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Altogether the Monument consists of 1146 Milestones. The design of these Milestones, though simple, is most symbolic: The Flaming Torch of the Statue of Liberty, emerging from the sea, is carried eastward. Along the circumference of the Milestone’s dome-shaped top, the 48 stars of the United States Flag remind us that brave men from each state of that great Nation took part in the Liberation of France. The “Liberty Highway” was officially opened on September 17, 1947 at Fontainebleau, by Mr Paul Ramadier, then President du Conseil, in the presence of Mr Jefferson Caffery, United States Ambassador to France and members of the American Legion. Many military and civilian dignitaries of the Allied Nations were also present at the ceremonies. Forty years later, the Liberty Monuments still stand proudly along those French roads. President Reagan, accompanied by many heads of State, came in 1984 to mark the 40th anniversary of D-Day. All stood to meditate at the site where the first American troops landed to restore Liberty to France. Since the dedication of the “Liberty Highway” in 1947, millions of visitors have come to visit these Monuments and to remember. Why can one acquire those monuments nowadays: For 40 years, they have stood along French roads and some of the 1146 Liberty Highway Monuments which were dangerously situated for traffic have been damaged. In 1982, French Public Authorities decided to replace about one hundred of these Monuments with plastic replicas. These authentic monuments were either damaged or risked becoming so. The A.B.R.F. Company from Chateaubriant in France, was put in charge of manufacturing replicas. They took the place of the original Milestones in October 1982. The 11th of Januray 1985, French Authorities held a public sale of the original Monuments which had been replaced. Our Company exclusively purchased the totality of the Monuments put up for sale. The monuments erected in the USA: In 1992, our company offered to the Liberty Road Foundation the Monuments that were after erected in the USA: New York City (Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum). Denver, Colorado (Veteran's Park). Abilene, Kansas (Eisenhower Museum Centre). Composition of the monuments: The Monuments are in “Ferrelith rock” (a pattern of reconstituted rock developed by Ferré company). 20 monuments for sale: 31 years after having purchased these Monuments and 24 years after having offered some of them in the USA, we are now selling them on 1dibs. This is the unique opportunity to buy these Monuments for the first and the last time. These 20 Monuments which we propose to sell come from the beginning of the “Liberty Highway” (The Normandy Brittany section). Each monument is absolutely unique: Each differs from the others by the painted inscriptions along each of its sides, including: The number of the road, the name and the distance of the two closest towns which are different for each Monument. To maintain their authenticity, these inscriptions have been left in their original state. This is why some are slightly faded. Some inscriptions will have to be repainted according to buyer requirements. Documents available: We have a bunch of documents but can publish only ten photos on 1dibs: Certificate of purchase from the French Administration. Press clippings concerning the replacement of the original monuments in 1982. 22 Press clippings concerning the Monuments erected in the USA in 1992. 12 letters dated 1947 by various US, French, Belgium Presidents, Ministers, etc. Four New York Times Press clippings dated 1947 concerning the inauguration ceremony. Original Michelin 1947 Liberty Highway Roadmap and Guidebook. Original Stamp dated ‘Voie de la Liberté’ (Liberty Highway) 1947. 1947 speech by D. Eisenhower. 1984 speech by Ronald Regan. Etc.

Creator:
François Cogné (Sculptor)
Dimensions:
Height: 48 in (121.92 cm)Diameter: 24 in (60.96 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Concrete
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1940-1949
Date of Manufacture:
1947
Condition:
Minor losses.
Seller Location:
BREST, FR
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU209436038493