Grossetti monument

French General Paul Grossetti comes to the aid of the Belgian troops, who are fighting an unequal battle and have given up Lombardsijde. The French counterattack led by Grossetti is initially successful and even reaches just before Westende-bad, to the spot where his monument stands today and the coastal road bears his name.
However, the breakthrough towards the port of Ostend does not happen, as the French troops urgently need to reinforce the Yser front, where the Germans are crossing the Yser at the bend of Tervate.
Grossetti's 42nd division later also fights in Ramskapelle and Woumen and is then sent to other hotspots.
General Grossetti was a true iron man, fearless and unflinching in the heat of battle. After a brilliant military career, he dies of dysentery in Paris on January 7, 1918, at the age of just 57. He receives a state funeral and is buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
Photo: French General Paul Grossetti (collection Ronny Van Troostenberghe)

Toerisme Middelkerke