It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the death of Susan Durkin a much loved and respected member of the 21eme de Ligne. Sue, A.K.A Madam Fleury, was a long standing member of the Regiment which she helped form with her husband Chris and Chris Perko, back in 1979. She and Chris were first in the Chasseurs a Pied de la Garde of the Sabre Society which they joined with their family in 1975. At the beginning of the 21eme in 1979, Sue was the treasurer and Infermier, complete with Brown and red uniform and accompanied by her two daughters. She would not only patch up the Emperor's soldats but also upon returning to camp would prepare and cook the regimental evening meal. As the regiment grew the need for an officially appointed Cantinier became clear and Sue was the natural choice. In her roll as "mother of the Regiment" she never once failed in her duties, always ready to feed, clothe and assist any new recruits or veterans as well as look after he own family, a fact that brother Michael and I can attest to. Sue attended every event in the UK possible, plus she followed the Eagle abroad with a list of Battles that would easily qualify her for the Garde Imperiale:- Dieppe, Bastille Day 1989, Dunkirk Camp, Boulogne Camp (6 times), Malmaison, crossed the Great St Bernard Pass, Jena, Auerstädt, Leipzig, Paris, Rambouillet and Waterloo (4 times). Present at our meeting of acceptance by the current day 21eme Regiment de Ligne at Canjuers Military Camp in the South of France in 1992 where she represented the ladies of our Regiment in full Cantiniere uniform. Her last event with the Regiment was our Regimental trip to Jena Auerstädt in October 1996. Sadly she was taken from us all on the 4th August 1997, but she can rest easy, having done her duty to her family and her Regiment. She is waiting for us with our other fallen comrade Chris Coote both on her cart, where the last assemblé is beat on the drums we will all be reunited. From one of your sons... More Napoleonic Newsdesk Napoleonic Association Spring Conference 14 March 1998 Napoleonic Prisoners of War in Ashby de la Zouch Association of Friends of the Waterloo Committee The Nelson Society Books News from Constable Napoleonic Diary for the next few months Obituaries: Robert Hodges Obituaries: Madam Fleury Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #39 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com