MHeMO, House of History and Memory

In the spring of 1962, the prospect of Algeria gaining independence became clearer. From then on, the situation of the French army's auxiliaries – and in particular the "harkis," members of the "harkas" – became worrying, especially since government instructions prohibited their transfer to mainland France.
Lieutenant Yvan Durand, head of Palestro's "harka," could not bring himself to abandon his men to the reprisals they were sure to face. He resigned from the army and devoted himself entirely to preparing their "exfiltration" with their families. These families, representing a group of 133 people, found themselves in June in a vast camp in Larzac. Yvan Durand then began to explore the Basses-Alpes department, looking for a village that would accept them.

André Laugier, mayor of Ongles, was persuaded, and on September 6, the twenty-five families, representing half the village's population, arrived. Initially housed in army tents, they were later moved to prefabricated buildings. The school grew from six to forty students, the grocery store saw the arrival of Berber customers who did not speak French, and the men went up every day to work in the forests of Lure. These families stayed for two years before leaving for Cannes and being replaced by a training center for the sons of harkis.

The Ongles House of History and Memory pays tribute to Yvan Durand, to these exiles and to those who welcomed them.