Sarkis Bedikian (in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

: Սարգիս Պետիկեան), also known as Sarkis Bedoukian (1908–August 21, 1944), was born around 1908 in Zeitoun,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, and died on August 21, 1944, in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. He was an

FTP-MOI The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée (FTP-MOI) were a sub-group of the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP) organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an ar ...

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

who was a

mort pour la France (, ) is a legal expression in France and an honour awarded to people who died during a conflict, usually in service of the country. Definition The term is defined in L.488 to L.492 (bis) of the ''Code of Military Disability Pensions and War ...

during the

Battle of Marseille The Battle of Marseille was an urban battle of World War II that took place August 21–28, 1944, and led to the liberation of Marseille by Free French forces under the command of General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny. The groundwork was laid ...

Youth and settlement in Marseille

Sarkis Bedikian was born in Zeitoun,

, around

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

. He settled in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

after the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

was a preferred destination for Armenian refugees, who mostly arrived by sea from the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. Sarkis settled in Traverse Chevalier in the

10th arrondissement of Marseille The 10th arrondissement of Marseille is a district (''arrondissement'') in the city of Marseille. The district is located east of the city. It borders the 5th and 12th arrondissement in the north, the 11th in the east, the 9th in the south, th ...

Resistance and death

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Bedikian joined the FTP-MOI and specifically served in the "Compagnie Marat", a detachment of the FTP-MOI in

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

. In this group, many Armenians found themselves, including others morts pour la France, such as Azad Niguerresian, Nechan Dermardirossian, Edmon Perian, Samoue Topalian, and Veravant Kechikian. As the Operation Dragoon, or the Allied invasion of Provence, began, the FTP-MOI in

rose up militarily to capture strongholds, create chaos in the defensive lines of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, and facilitate the successful landing. Sarkis Bedikian was among the uprising fighters. On August 21, 1944, Julia Pirotte photographed him alongside one of his Greek comrades, Vassilias Stamboulis. A few hours later, Sarkis Bedikian was killed in combat while launching an assault on the

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

. Edmon Perian, Samoue Topalian, and Veravant Kechikian were also killed in

during the

Legacy

Bedikian was recognized as being a

. Additionally, his detachment was renamed "Detachment Sarkis" in his honor. He is one of the characters in the novel "Missak" by

Didier Daeninckx Didier Daeninckx (born 27 April 1949 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis) is a French author and left-wing politician of Belgian descent, best known for his '' romans noirs''. Works translated into English *' (''Meurtres pour mémoire'') by Melvil ...

about

Missak Manouchian Missak Manouchian (; , 1 September 1909 – 21 February 1944) was an Armenians, Armenian poet and communist activist. A survivor of the 1915–1916 Armenian genocide, he Armenians in France, moved to France from an orphanage in Lebanon in 1 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedikian, Sarkis 1908 births 1944 deaths French military personnel killed in World War II Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany FTP-MOI Communist members of the French Resistance Armenian genocide survivors Deaths by firearm in France Armenian communists Armenian people of World War II