Hippolyte Thomas was grumpy of the Emperor on the various battlefields. Xavier PS His descendant pays homage to him today at the Terre Cabade cemetery in Toulouse.
Member of the association of the 10th Escadron des chasseurs à cheval of the Imperial Guard, since 2000, Xavier Pérès pays tribute this Saturday in the Terre-Cabade cemetery, to his grandfather, Hippolyte Thomas, grognard of Napoleon, born in Lavaur and died in Toulouse October 1, 1863 at his home located at the time, rue Louis Napoléon. “As a child, a painting of this soldier was hung with my grandfather, remembers Xavier Pérès who also took over within the association, the name of this much admired ancestor. After researching, I learned that he was the first to be buried in the family tomb at Terre Cabade. On this bicentenary of the Emperor’s death, I decided to pay homage to him by adding a medallion painted in 1811 by the School of the Painter Gros to his tomb. To be precise, the idea was also suggested to me by a colleague of the association, Yvon Girardin ”.
Reconstruction of his uniform
It is true that Hippolyte Thomas has accumulated battles and acts of bravery on several battlefields: “He fought all the wars of the Revolution and the Empire: Moscova, Italy, Egypt where he made several actions of shine, says Xavier Pérès. He was also named knight of the Legion of Honor then commander of the Legion of Honor in 1840 ”.
Another point fits into this story: “At his death, Hippolyte Thomas, had asked by will that his uniform and his weapons must be kept, continues Xavier Pérès. It is to reconstitute this garment which was so dear to him, that I came into contact with the association of the 10th Escadron des chasseurs à cheval of the Imperial Guard, discovering its documentation and its tailors. The beginning of a beautiful story “.