Tata of Chasselay

Tata of Chasselay (French: Tata sénégalaise de Chasselay) is a cemetery in the city of Chasselay, Rhône including almost 200 graves of Senegalese Tirailleurs killed during the Chasselay Massacre during World War II.[1][2]

Tata of Chasselay
Details
Established1942
Location
Chasselay, Rhône
CountryFrance
Coordinates45.8823°N 4.75472°E / 45.8823; 4.75472
TypePublic
No. of interments196

History

From 19 to 20 June 1940, in Chasselay, the Senegalese colonial troops (also called Senegalese Tirailleurs) of the French army delayed the entry of German troops into Lyon, declared an "open city" on 18 June.

On 17 June, the defence was organised in Chasselay, a village about fifteen kilometres north-west of Lyon. Barricades were erected, thanks to soldiers of the 405th RADCA of Sathonay, the 25th Senegalese infantry regiment, legionnaires (2 of them rest in the tata) and also with the help of civilians.

Having met very little resistance from Dijon, the Germans arrived on June 19, near the Montluzin convent in Lissieu. Heavy and violent fighting between German and French troops resulted in 51 deaths, including one civilian on the French side, and more than 40 wounded for the Germans.

Description

The building, entirely red ochre, consists of tombstones surrounded by a rectangular enclosure 2.8 metres high. Its porch and its four corners are surmounted by pyramids covered with piles. The solid oak clerestory gate is decorated with eight African masks.

Dirt from Dakar has been brought by plane, to mix it with French soil.

References
  1. "The Senegalese Tata in Chasselay". www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  2. "À Chasselay, un cimetière pas comme les autres : le Tata sénégalais" (in French). Retrieved 2018-10-10.


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