Jean Pierre Hippolyte Blandan (9 February 1819 – 12 April 1842) was a French soldier, known for his historic resistance on the battlefield at

Boufarik Boufarik is a town in Blida Province, Algeria, approximately 30 km from Algiers. In 2008, its population was 57,162.popul ...

in Algeria. He was posthumously made a Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Career

Blandan joined the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

at the age of eighteen, and served in the conquest of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. He left Lyon on 9 September 1837 for the city of

Bône Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River ...

in the province of Constantine in Algeria to fight the tribe led by Oued Radjett. He was appointed Corporal on 6 August 1839, and promoted to Sergent on 1 January 1842.

Death

On 11 April 1842, Blandan led a detachment of twenty men to carry mail from

Boufarik Boufarik is a town in Blida Province, Algeria, approximately 30 km from Algiers. In 2008, its population was 57,162.popul ...

to Béni Mered, some 8–9 km away. After about an hour of marching, his company was attacked by a group of 200–300 Arab horsemen. Blandan exhorted his men to fight, even though he was seriously wounded. He refused to surrender before the superior force, and cried "Courage mes amis, défendez-vous jusqu'à la mort!" (be brave my friends, fight to the death!) The noise of the battle was heard in Boufarik and relief arrived under Joseph de Breteuil. They found only five soldiers still fighting, the others all being dead or wounded. Blandan died of his wounds that night in the hospital in Boufarik, at the age of 23.

Tributes

In 1886, a public competition was run to create a statue of Blandan as a tribute to his heroism. The jury awarded the work to French sculptor

Charles Gauthier Charles Gauthier (7 December 1831 – 5 January 1891) was a French sculptor who was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur in 1872."GAUTHIER, Charles." ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford Art Online'', Oxford University Press. Retrieved ...

who completed it in

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl ...

and the statue was placed in

Boufarik Boufarik is a town in Blida Province, Algeria, approximately 30 km from Algiers. In 2008, its population was 57,162.popul ...

following

Algerian independence An independence referendum was held in French Algeria on 1 July 1962. It followed French approval of the Évian Accords in an April referendum. Voters were asked whether Algeria should become an independent state, co-operating with France; 99 ...

. However, it was moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1963, where it was placed in the courtyard of a barracks in Nancy. As part of the ceremony to mark the placement of the statue, Blandan's ashes were placed in the new monument's base. In 1990, it was moved again to Rue du Sergent Blandan, Nancy. The statue represents Sergent Blandan, pointing at the battle of Boufarik where he died. He holds a weapon, to show that he was a military man. In 1887, la rue Saint-Marcel, one of the oldest streets in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

, was renamed

Rue du Sergent Blandan The Rue du Sergent Blandan is one of the oldest streets of Lyon. It connects Saint Vincent and the slopes of the Croix-Rousse quarters, in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. The street starts rue Pareille, runs along the Place Sathonay, crosses the r ...

in his honour. Medals were struck in his name Armée d'Afrique : lot de 4 médailles, la Légion, sergent Blandan, les troupes africaines et Bournazel par Bouchard, les 4
coinarchives.com, 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014. and a statue was placed on the

Place Sathonay The Place Sathonay is a square located in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon, France, at the bottom of hill of La Croix-Rousse, in La Martinière quarter. It was named after Nicolas-Marie-Jean-Claude Fay de Sathonay, mayor of Lyon from 1805 to 1812, a ...

in Lyon. The creation of ''Parc du Sergent Blandan'' in the 3rd, 7th and 8th arrondissements of

was due to start in 2012. It will cover 17 hectares. His death was depicted by

Louis-Théodore Devilly Louis-Théodore Devilly (28 October 1818, Metz24 December 1886, Nancy) was a French painter who specialized in military and Orientalist scenes; associated with the . Biography He came from a family of booksellers.André Bellard :"Laurent-Char ...

in 1882. Presented at the

Salon des artistes français The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

in 1882, the painting was purchased by the State, which donated it to the Museum of Fine Arts in Nancy, of which Devilly was the curator.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blandan, Sergent 1819 births 1842 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour French soldiers People of French Algeria