GARD The 79th anniversary of the victory of May 8, 1945 commemorated

In Nimes

In the Gard capital, the ceremony began with the deposition of the Cross of Lorraine in front of the Bank of France where the plaque appears in tribute to the liberation of Nîmes, the 80th anniversary of which will soon be celebrated on August 29. It was adopted as an emblem by Free France during the Second World War. All the elected officials and veterans then headed towards the monument to those killed in the two wars.

First, it was the fourth grade students in the citizenship and defense workshop at Ada Lovelace’s college at Mas de Mingue who read the song “Ceux du maquis” composed by the French resistance. Several speeches took place, including that of Jérôme Bonet, prefect of Gard. “At the same time as the tears of joy, pain makes the eyes of the French shine because the victory, however happy it may be, does not erase the war that took place”he declared, reading the text from Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, and Patricia Mirallès, Secretary of State to the Minister of the Armed Forces, in charge of Veterans and Memory.

“We remember the Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, the physically or mentally handicapped, hated and murdered simply because one day they were born”added the state representative before concluding: “this memory is our heritage as much as a lesson. For 79 years we have not forgotten it, it has always inspired us.” Before the bell ringing and the Marseillaise, several wreath layings were carried out, in front of a large crowd, in the presence of Julien Plantier, first deputy to the city of Nîmes, Franck Proust, president of Nîmes métropole, senator Laurent Burgoa, the deputy Yoann Gillet, Amal Couvreur, regional councilor and Christian Bastid, departmental councilor as well as numerous elected officials from Nîmes.

In Pont-Saint-Esprit

In Pont-Saint-Esprit, this commemorative ceremony was the first for Gérome Bouvier, new mayor, officially installed on Saturday. The first part took place at Place Bir Hakeim, in the presence of Mathias Nieps, deputy secretary general of the Gard prefecture. At the ceremony, there was also Claire Lapeyronie, the former mayor who wore her regional councilor sash, patriotic associations, representatives of firefighters, law enforcement and a handful of Spiripontans, including Emmanuel Le Pargneux.

Mathias Nieps read the message from the government representatives. Gérôme Bouvier also prepared a speech. In front of the stele of the Martyrs of the Resistance, he wanted to honor their memory, that of the victims and heroes of the deportation: “We are committed to passing this legacy on to future generations so that they can learn from their courage and sacrifice. We are committed to continuing their fight for a world where justice, tolerance and respect for human dignity must prevail..” Several wreaths were then laid and the Marseillaise was sung.

To Bagnols-sur-Ceze

Also in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, a state representative chaired the ceremony on May 8. This is Yann Gerard, secretary general, sub-prefect of the district of Nîmes, appointed just a few days ago in Gard. He was alongside Jean-Yves Chapelet, mayor of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, other elected officials, MP Pascale Bordes, police and gendarmerie representatives. The Foreign Legion, the Red Cross, the standard bearers as well as the Defense class participated in the ceremony set to music by the Bagnolese pena del Fuego.

There too, the secretary general recited the message from Sébastien Lecornu and Patricia Mirallès. Several wreath laying took place at the foot of the war memorial on the Maurice-Aurelle esplanade, then at Thome Square. The chief magistrate of Bagnolais took advantage of this day to talk about Europe: “We hear a lot about leaving a better world for our youth. But we must also do everything to leave better youth in our world. A youth who gets up in the morning and knows our need for Europe, with the desire to make a lasting war impossible. (…) I think of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”

Jean-Claude Mougenot, president of the federal union of veterans, recalled the importance of the duty of memory: “We pay tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom and to the victims. May 8 is a key date in our history. 79 years ago, France ceased to be a country at war. The largest and deadliest conflict in human history had just come to an end in Europe. More than 60 million men and women died during this period.“

In Marguerittes

Great gravity, collective emotion and civic commitment were at the heart of the ceremony commemorating the victory of May 8, 1945 and the memory of the children of Marguerittes victims of the war led by Mayor Rémi Nicolas. The public responded to participate in this moment of memory and recognition of the fighters, marked this year by the presentation of the medal of Officer of the National Order of Merit to Mr. Chancerel by his son, General Chancerel.

At the Angles

At the end of the morning, the Angles municipal council commemorated the 79th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, in order to remember all those who fought for freedom and peace. Mayor Paul Mély was surrounded by representatives of the municipal council, the municipal youth council, the municipal and national police, the SDIS and the legion.

In Uzes

In Uzès too, elected officials and administrators celebrated the traditional ceremony commemorating France’s victory in 1945 with a tribute to the soldiers who died for their country. For the occasion, the mayor of Uzès Jean-Luc Chapon along with Denis Bouad, senator from Gard, laid wreaths at the foot of the war memorial.