Célestine Carollo’s experiences during World War II in Montpezat de Quercy exposed her to the worst brutality of the Das Reich Waffen-SS.

Célestine recounts the events of May 1944 when the SS German soldiers raided the village searching for maquisards. This led to the death of a maquisard but also casualties on the German side.

The Germans burned houses, including Célestine’s family home, and took away men, including her father, who was later deported to a camp near Hamburg, until finally being liberated by the Russians in September 1945.

Célestine recounts that people never wanted to talk about the atrocities, as they represented painful memories. Célestine remembers the hardships faced by the villagers, not only the burning of their homes, but also the emotional and financial struggles to rebuild their lives following the end of the war. Despite the difficulty of discussing these traumatic events, she fears that these memories are fading with the passing of time.

The importance of preserving these stories for future generations has been uppermost in Célestine's thoughts. Her book, written in conjunction with her mother and work with the local town hall, is a testament to her commitment to learning lessons from her personal experience of Nazi brutality