Arrangements of the centenary of the end of the Great War presented to the Living room of Tourism

The Sum was present at the Living room of Tourism to present arrangements of the commemoration of the end of the Great War.

2018 are the year of the centenary of the end of the Great War. With this occasion, the department of the Sum opens the various sites of the First World War in particular those which accommodated the troops come from the whole world.

Pure the battle of the Sum, 30 nations coming for most colonial Empires were at the sides of the allied forces.

For France and his ex empire, one found in his rows Burkina Faso–Faso, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, the Viêt – Nam, Senegal, Madagascar, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

For the United Kingdom and its ex empire, Commonwealth Countries such as South Africa, Australia, Canada, Terre Neuve, New Zealand, India, Burma, Pakistan, Barbados, Rhodesia and the Irish Republic.

Other countries were present like Russia, China, Egypt, Belgium Italy as well as Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Romania and Montenegro with in an individual capacity.

The battle of the Sum started in 1916 has as a specificity to be an international battle contrary to Verdun which particularly opposed France and Germany. On a face of 45 km, more than 3 million men clashed from June 1914 to November 1918.

Following the German offensive of Verdun, one of most fatal of this conflict with   approximately 300,000 deaths or missings and 400,000 casualties resulting from the two camps, the British army takes the lead in the commands. Of follows it tragic attack French of Way of Ladies in 1917 which shows a failure but after the battle of October 31st when the losses of Germany are consequent (35 000 killed, disappeared and wounded against 17,000 died, 20,000 missings and 65,000 casualties French side), the latter is folded up behind a new line of defense leaving the Way of Ladies.

In March 1918, German decides on a new counter–attack with the operations “Michael” and “Georgette” who will end in a failure and many human losses of which of Portuguese, Irish and the Australian ones. On the whole, the British lost 236,000 men, 120,000 missings among French and 348,000 losses among German.

The allied armies reinforced out of equipment and men thanks to the commitment of the United States decide to launch a general offensive to Picardy and Artois for French and American and in Flandres for the British reinforced by the presence of Australian and Canadian quotas.

On November 4th, the city of Quesnoy (Northern) is released by the New Zealand soldiers who take by storm the ramparts of Vauban using scales…

One week later, the armistice is signed on November 11th by the allied and German representatives in the coach of staff arranged of the Foch general, in the clearing of Rethondes in forest of Compiegne, marking the victory of the allied armies and the capitulation of Germany.

The departure of the commemorations was launched by François Hollande in 2014 and will be enclosed in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron. On November 11th, the Heads of State of all the countries engaged in this conflict will gather in Paris. It will be the occasion to point out the importance of the “duty to remember” and to visit the departments, battlefields and cemeteries with the memories of all those fallen at the time of this conflict. This year will be a means for the literature, the cinema and the museums to perpetuate the memory of all the participants starting with the courses organized in the Sum (Albert and her museum, its underground and the life in the trenches, Amiens and its cathedral, Doullens and the room of the single command, Villers Bretonneux and the Australian memorial, Beaumont– Hamel and the memorial Newfoundlander, Thiepval and the memorial of the Commonwealth.

A special attention for Pozières and its memorials whose last since 2017 is booked to the thousands of Australian animals fallen on the battlefield like to the 9 million animals died during the First World War. In addition, every 2 years, Digger association – dimension 160 organizes a great show sounds and lights, fresco historical on the life of the village of Pozières during the battle of the Sum in 1916.

Another originality, the Chinese cemetery of Nolette with Noyelles– on–MER out of bay of Somme not far from Crotoy and St Valery–on–Nap where 814 men rest having belonged to the Body of the Chinese workers made in 1917 54,000 and passed to 96,000 at the time of the armistice. There remained about it still 80,000 in May 1919.

In 1919, the number of the tombs of the German soldiers was listed, most important necropolis German of the Sum is in Vermandovillers with 26,000 bodies.

For more information, it is possible to contact the tourist office of memory (www.somme 14-18.com).

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VERONIQUE YANG

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