Around the outside wall of the church beside the Rannville Cemetery,
there a number of graves, of British soldiers and also of at least one
German. And this headstone caught my eye - that of Guy de Villardi de
Montlaur. He served with distinction in the Second World War and was
much decorated. As a member of No 4 Commando, he had expressed a wish
to be buried with his comrades, and so it was. The Wikipedia entry is
quite descriptive of the man. It reads: "As a young man Montlaur
Julian from 1936-1938. He worked with Emmanuel Fougerat and Jean
Souverbie.
In October 1938 he was conscripted for military service, serving in
the German border during the battle of France. He eventually left
France, travelling to England via Lisbon to join the Free French in
attached to No. 4 Commando of Lord Lovat's 1st Special Service Brigade
for the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, landing at Ouistreham. He
also took part in the assault on the Dutch island of Walcheren
("Operation Infatuate") on 1 November 1944, having been commissioned
at a lieutenant. Montlaur received seven citations and the French
After the war Montlaur worked at the Art Students League of New York
Initially an exponent of Cubism, he later matured into a more
Expressionist style.
Montlaur is buried at the military cemetery at Ranville, Normandy.
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