We have just returned from a Conference in the Ecole Militaire in Paris at which plans for the Commemorations were discussed and we felt that Guild Members might like to know the gist of what took place.
It was organised by the Association des Paysages et Sites de Memoire de la Grande Guerre (formed in 2011), which appears to have initially been the inspiration of the French Departements of Alsace-Lorraine, the Aisne and the Meuse.
The Conference, to which we had been invited, covered the Western Front in its entirety and was supported in one form or another by all the relevant local authorities including political, tourist and academic. The senior participant, who was there the whole day was Serge Barcellini, Comptroller General of the Army (France) who was the lead speaker in a panel of around 8 others.
As far as we could tell (there were some 200 delegates) the only British representatives were ourselves, Colin Kerr from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (Colin is heading the CWGC participation in the 100ths activities and was one of the speakers) and Peter Barton, well known for his work on the Somme and elsewhere. It seemed very odd that no representative from our old Commonwealth attended. Also we strongly missed any mention of Franco-Belgian-British co-operation in the plans discussed and at the end of the day we pointed out to one of the final speakers that, as so many of the sites discussed during the day had been soaked in the blood of British and Commonwealth soldiers, they were in some respects OUR sites of important memory too.
The main concern of the Conference was that of preserving, maintaining and opening for public access the routes and vestiges of the Western Front. The morning session consisted of presentations by various political, Souvenir Francais, tourist and academic experts on the subject of their application to UNESCO for the sites to be recognised by that body as of world heritage value. This is a very stringent and demanding process, which has to prove the universality and integrity of the sites, their importance for the future as witnesses for the future peace of the world, the capacity for educating the young who should be the future messengers of peace etc etc .
The session included a visual presentation with some impactful and atmospheric pictures by Guild Member Michael St Maur Schiel.
Work had begun on this project in 2002, both in France and in Flemish Belgium, (Belgian Wallonia seems to have somewhat behind in their plans), with the selection by committees, consisting of historians and tourist authorities in each of the 12 French Departements and in Belgium of some 32 French sites and 13 Belgian ones, along the front . These were sites which were considered to be the most important. The Somme and 1 July , the West Flanders and Heuveland battlefields including Ypres, the Walloon battlefields of Mons and Comines-Warneton (Ploegsteert) were among them. (Incidentally, we learned from a meeting we attended at the Australian High Commission in London last Wednesday that they too had begun work on Centenary plans in 2002!)
Once these sites had been agreed each geographical area then set about locating, recording and describing all cemeteries, bunkers, memorials etc associated with their own sites and, that having been completed, around half a dozen of these in each area were selected for attention and expenditure on restoration and improvement. This process is near to completion.
While the word ‘Tourisme’ was rarely heard other than in the acceptable term of ‘Memoire-tourisme’, it was clear that within the clear determination of the Conference to ‘Remember’ it was understood that, while funds to initiate the whole programme could be available, the preservation and maintenance of the chosen sites would depend upon tourists visiting them and here clearly was where the British and 14-18 Commonwealth visitor would be important, though barely mentioned throughout the day’s programme. There was a brief mention of the fact that our Government intended to send children ‘from each school in the land’ to visit the battlefields.
Yesterday (10 June) our Government officially released some details of their plans for the 100ths – already well known to Guild Members. These sensibly revolve around seven major commemorative events at national level with the intent that these will spur activities at local levels. One of these events is Gallipoli. (Let us hope that our politicians will have the courage to point out to the Australians that we British had more casualties there than all the other allies added together – and that the French took part! We understood last week from the Australian Army Adviser on their Defence Staff, Col John Hutcheson, that the British ceremony would actually take place on 24, not 25 April 2015) and the Somme is another one. It is on the Somme, where most British visits are likely to take place, that co-operation between tour operators, Regimental Associations and car-borne tourists, that liaison with the relevant authorities on the ground in France and Belgium will be essential if probable congestion is to be avoided.
It may be that Members can help with feedback on the plans that their clients, or they themselves, may have for travelling to the battlefields so that the local authorities can react appropriately. If we are able to update progress we will do so and will report on where feedback might be sent.
Tonie and Valmai
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