AN 84-year-old French man has been awarded the Order of Merit by Germany for 23 years’ of work clearing out sand from World War Two bunkers at Soulac-sur-Mer, at the mouth of the Gironde a key defence position for the Nazis, preventing the allies sailing into Bordeaux.
Jean-Paul Lescorce began the work at the age of 61 when he undertook his monumental task on the 26 bunkers, armed with a shovel and rubbish bags.
"Locals thought I was crazy," he recalls, "they didn't understand why I was clearing these 'blockhouses', as they call them - when the real term is bunker [reinforced iron concrete].”
The Connexion interviewed Mr Lescorce at the start of this year.
Read our article with him here
Related stories
Painful and important history of France’s WW2 bunkers
Income Tax in France 2022 (for 2021 income)*
Healthcare in France*
