On 10th June 1944 the Nazi SS surrounded Oradour-sur-Glane. The troops rounded up the entire population of men, woman and children, machine gunned them and then burned the dead and dying along with all the houses in the village. Just five men and one woman managed to escape from the slaughter, the reason for which has never been discovered. After the war, the ruins of "Village Martyr", as it became known, were declared a national monument by Charles de Gaulle so that the 642 victims of the massacre would be always remembered by future generations. It is a very sombre and moving place to visit. These photographs were taken in June 2005 and further details of the events leading up to and during that day can be found on many websites and several books that have been translated into English.