Tata of Chasselay

Tata of Chasselay

Details
Established	1942
Location	Chasselay, Rhône
Country	France
Coordinates	45°52′56″N 4°45′17″E / 45.8823°N 4.75472°E / 45.8823; 4.75472Coordinates: 45°52′56″N 4°45′17″E / 45.8823°N 4.75472°E / 45.8823; 4.75472
Type	Public
No. of interments	196

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 during World War II.^[1][2]

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 405^th RADCA of Sathonay, the 25^th 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[]

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