Being in France over this time I wanted to share with you the way that they remember as of course life in France was so much harder as they were an occupied Country.
Firstly Armistice Day is a public holiday in France, through the day there was music playing by their Cenotaph in the small village where we are, I do not know the French tune that was playing but they also played Land of Hope and Glory which I found quite strange. Many people visited the village during the day and paid their respects at the Cenotaph.
Now in the Cemetry in the village there are graves of 6 brave airmen who sadly lost their lives in the second world war, when their aircraft were shot down, the villagers risked their own lives by hiding their bodies so that their bodies would not be taken by the Germans and then buried them. In May they fly both the British and Canadian flags over their graves to honour these brave men. We have also been told stories of how the French resistance hid away in some of the old barns around the village. I am sure all around this area and many areas of France there are many similar stories told.
40 minutes drive from where we are there is a memorial town at Oradour sur Glane where 642 people were massacred during the Second World War and this village has been left exactly as it was on the day of this atrocity and I would strongly recommend anyone of any age visiting this site as you cannot help but be moved by what you see and read. This truly makes anyone appreciate what our relatives in the UK fought for and what our neighbours in France endured to make Europe the place we all live in relatively peacefully now.
Of course for anyone interested in World War history from many of the cruises that visit Northern France you can always get the opportunity of taking a tour to the Normandy Beaches too
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