5 October 2025 at 4 p.m. at the Shoah Museum of Drancy
This meeting, organised in partnership with the France – Musa Dagh, the Federation of Franco-Armenian Combatants and Resistance Fighters (FCRFA) and the ONaCVG, will evoke a little-known episode: the evacuation, in September 1915, of 4,092 Armenians from Musa Dagh, including 650 combatants and 7 leaders, by the French navy. These combatants would form the core of the future Légion d’Orient, created on 15 November 1916. This journey into memory highlights the notions of commitment and freedom embodied by these heroes. It takes place in the presence of Jean Cordelle, grandson of a young naval officer serving on the Desaix and author of ‘L’épopée des Arméniens et des Marins’ (The Epic of the Armenians and Sailors), Claire Mouradian, emeritus research director at the CNRS, CERCEC, associated with the Centre for Historical Research, and Raphaël Vartanian, PhD student in history and teacher.