Square du Caporal Peugeot

This square honors Jules-Andre Peugeot, a young corporal in the French army who holds a somber place in world history. On the morning of August 2, 1914, he was stationed near the border in the village of Joncherey. While preparing for breakfast, he encountered a German patrol that had crossed into French territory before war had been officially declared. He ordered them to stop, but was shot and killed in the ensuing skirmish. Because this happened just hours before the formal declaration of hostilities, he is recognized as the very first French soldier to die in the First World War.