Commemoration of the Armistice of November 11, 1918
On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine commemorated the Armistice of November 11, 1918.
After a color guard ordered“Attention”to mark the start of the ceremony, the Dean welcomed everyone in attendance, including representatives from the city and the university, military personnel, professors in academic robes, faculty staff, and students. Many of the students were wearing the traditional student cap.
The president of the Montpellier Medical Students' Association, Nathan Montels, read a text drawing parallels between the two biographies selected this year and written by Mr. Gilles Morlock:
The two men whose memory we honor today both knew Dean Gaston Giraud, who was still a medical resident at the time of World War I.
Maurice Warnery was a friend of Gaston Giraud. Along with Edmond Salager, they were members of the Montpellier Society of Medical and Biological Sciences, of which Gaston Giraud was the secretary. A tribute to them appeared at the end of every issue of the society’s newsletter from 1919 to 1939.
The bond they shared with Dean Giraud, who went on to lead the faculty during World War II, lends this ceremony a special significance.
Ms. Marianne KERMAC, a medical student and student vice-dean, read the biography of Mr. Maurice WARNERY
Maurice Warnery was born in Montpellier on January 22, 1894. He was the son of Charles Warnery and Marthe Leenhardt, the fifth of eight children. A student at the Lycée de Montpellier from 1905 to 1911, he earned his high school diploma in 1911, received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1913, and began his medical studies in November 1912. At the same time, he was actively involved in social work, within the Association of Christian Students, and in numerous initiatives led by his father, notably within the Mutualité Française, whose national congress was held in Montpellier shortly before the war. Appointed as a hospital intern through the 1913 competitive examination, Maurice Warnery became a member of the Montpellier Society of Medical and Biological Sciences in 1914. Like all young people of his generation, his promising career was cut short by mobilization, just as he was finishing his second year of studies.
Initially assigned to Montpellier, at Auxiliary Hospital No. 3, he left for the front at his own request, first serving in an ambulance unit of an Algerian infantry division, then joining the4th Battalion of the3rd Regiment of Algerian Riflemen—an elite regiment—as an auxiliary doctor, effective June 17, 1915. His conduct there was exemplary, to the point that his bravery and dedication became legendary within his regiment. His deep religious faith helped him overcome his fears and anxieties, as he wrote in his notebook during the Battle of Champagne in September 1915. It was there that he received his first citation.
He subsequently served several tours of duty in the hellish battlefields of Verdun. He was wounded at the Talou Ridge in February 1916 but refused to be evacuated, an act that earned him a second citation. He served a total of four tours of duty in Verdun (Avocourt, Fleury, Douaumont).
It was during his fourth stay in Verdun that his all-too-short life came to an end, at the age of 22.
In the Douaumont sector, he was mortally wounded by shrapnel on November 14, 1916, and died the following day from his injuries in Ambulance 12/20 at the Fontaine-Routon Hospital Center in Souhesmes. The Military Medal was awarded in addition to his War Cross with the following citation: “A model of bravery and dedication. Has demonstrated remarkable calm and composure since the start of the campaign, tending to the wounded under the heaviest bombardments. Already wounded, he was struck by a new injury while at his post. Cited three times in the orders.”
Gaston Giraud, a future dean and assistant physician serving at the front, wrote in his notes: “Warnery fell at Verdun. We will suffer greatly from anemia.” He used the medical term “anemia” because he knew that the war was causing a terrible loss of life across all social classes and that all these fallen men would be sorely missed.
Originally buried at the Souhesmes Military Cemetery, Maurice Warnery was reburied at the Protestant Cemetery in Montpellier in May 1922, in the presence of representatives from the Faculty Council and members of the Society of Medical and Biological Sciences.
In every issue from 1919 to 1939, the Society’s newsletter commemorated Maurice Warnery alongside his elder brother, Edouard Salager.
Nathan Leroy then read the biography of Mr. Edmond SALAGER
Edmond Salager was born on September 16, 1874, in Mèze, where his father was a court officer. He earned his baccalaureate in the humanities and then in the sciences in 1892. He studied medicine continuously from 1892 to 1896. Exempted from military service for medical reasons, he went on to have a distinguished career in academia and hospital practice. Initially appointed as a clinical assistant in geriatrics through the 1897 competitive examination, he passed his final medical exams and defended his thesis on June 3, 1899, under the chairmanship of Professor Carrieu, inspired by Professor Virès and titled *De l’Antagonisme Morbide*, receiving the highest honors. In 1900, he contributed to the publication of *Lessons in Clinical Medicine Delivered at the General Hospital of Montpellier*. He then turned his attention to mental illnesses and, in 1904, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, dedicating his thesis to Francisque Lélut, one of the pioneers of modern psychology. He was appointed chief resident in mental and nervous diseases in the 1904 competitive examination. A member of the Montpellier Society of Medical Sciences, he published his work in various journals covering neurology, experimental medicine, and pathological anatomy. He was awarded the Palmes Académiques in 1907. In 1908, he qualified for the competitive examination for the agrégation in internal pathology and forensic medicine but did not attain the rank of agrégé. He then served as an assistant physician at the asylum for the mentally ill under Professor Albert Mairet. He became head of the psychology laboratory at the Clinic for Mental and Nervous Diseases in 1909, was appointed as a preparatory instructor in forensic medicine the same year, and consequently served as a lecturer and gave courses at the Faculty of Law, then became head of the experimental psychology laboratory. In 1910, he co-authored *La folie hystérique* with Albert Mairet.
During this time, he married Jeanne Marie Brézet in 1906. The couple had three children: Annette in 1907, Paule in 1909, and later Jacques in 1915. The family lived at 2 Rue de l’Ancien Courrier
Mobilized on August 2, 1914, Edmond Salager initially served as a military nurse in the auxiliary army but was soon assigned as a attending physician at Auxiliary Hospital No. 2 in Montpellier. At his request, he was classified for active duty and assigned to the 16th Military Nurse Section and to Auxiliary Hospital No. 1. He was appointed assistant major 2nd class, which granted him officer status. He then served in Pézenas. He was finally assigned to the divisional stretcher-bearer group of the37th Infantry Division on the eve of theSecond Battle of Champagne, on September 24, 1915, in the Suippes sector. This major offensive, launched without sufficient preparation, would prove to be yet another failure.
Edmond Salager was killed along with two stretcher-bearers on September 28 during the bombardment of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand. He was mentioned in the division’s orders: “Joined his unit on September 24, which was under constant heavy bombardment. Was killed at his post on September 28.” He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and later the Médaille Militaire.
After his remains were exhumed from his temporary grave, he was reburied in the military section of the municipal cemetery in Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand.
Until 1939, his memory was honored in every issue of the Bulletin of the Society of Medical and Biological Sciences of Montpellier and the Mediterranean Languedoc, which resumed publication in 1919, with the following note:
Killed in action while serving in the French armed forces.
Dr. SALAGER, laboratory assistant at the Faculty.
Maurice WARNERY, hospital intern
Members of the Montpellier Society of Medical Sciences
The Dean read the roll call of the fallen from World War I, as well as from World War II and overseas theaters of operation
Ms. Aben and Mr. Marcou, representing the National Orders, the Dean, Mr. Lamou, and two students then laid wreaths.
The OSEM continued the commemoration with a drum roll in honor of the fallen, after which the assembly observed a moment of silence.
Then the OSEM began playing “La Marseillaise.”
In closing, the Dean thanked the audience and those involved in organizing the ceremony, introduced the Montpellier Student Symphony Orchestra (OSEM), and went to greet the flag bearers.
This ceremony was particularly moving, as Anne and Michel TOUZERY, members of Pierre SALAGER’s family, were with us, as was Mrs. BARJON GIRAUD, daughter of Dean Gaston GIRAUD.
Below are a few photos from the event.
