On the west side of the bridge, affixed to the bridge’s wall.

Plaque

A square black plaque containing a commemoration message and lists the surnames of 5 soldiers who were killed during the liberation on August 5, 1944. The plaque is written mainly in French in gold lettering.

On August 5, the 6^th U.S. Armored Division entered Finistère via the village of Poullaouen, where a skirmish claimed the lives of 2 American soldiers, Lt Phillip E. Higinbotham and PFC John D. Gemmill. They were the first two soldiers from the division to lose their lives in the department. Fighting continued for the 6th AD, which suffered the loss of 5 American soldiers at Pont-Mikael in the Locmaria-Berrien commune after an American tank commanded by Lieutenant John W. Schnepp was stopped by a mine. The Germans had set up a machine gun on the hill opposite and killed the tank's driver, Private Ewel B. Bennet, and 3 of their comrades who had come to their rescue: 2Lt James Durden and 1st Lt Herbert Weider, as well as Private Charles Bair. Shortly afterward, the division liberated Huelgoat, where once again deadly fighting claimed the lives of 3 other Americans, privates Fred K. Blaylock, Santos de Nuziato, and Sgt Fred H. Seidenburg after a German rocket destroyed their tank.

Source of information: fr.wikipedia.org

LOCMARIA-BERRIEN

A ses libérateurs AMERICAINS

Lt – SCHNEPP

Lt – DURDEN

Lt – WEIDER

Pvt – BENNET

T4 – BAIR

                                             5 Août 1944

                                             REMEMBER

English translation:

LOCMARIA-BERRIEN

To her AMERICAN liberators

Lt – SCHNEPP

Lt – DURDEN

Lt – WEIDER

Pvt – BENNET

T4 – BAIR

                                             5 August 1944

                                             REMEMBER