Because it's Bastille Day...

[Groundhog]

In honour of Bastille Day here are a few photos taken in France this month.

The French Cemetery at Neuville St Vaast near Vimy Ridge. The crosses with black plates are WW1 burials, the ones in the third photo with white plates are WW2 burials.

[Groundhog]

The Mur Des Fusilées in Arras. It's in the ditch of the old Citadel of Arras and the left wall is one of the walls of the current army barracks in the town. Home to a Logs unit I think. Anyway the Germans executed 218 Resistance fighters during WW2 at this spot. Each plaque on the wall has the details of an execution.





The post in the background marks the site of the WW2 execution post.







One of the youngest. An apprentice miner from Carvin. The initials at the top indicate his organisation. The various organisations are explained in a photo below.



Presumably an escaped Russian POW who joined the resistance. He was probably used as slave labour building the Atlantic Wall. A Russian Lieutenant was executed that day also.

[Groundhog]

The village memorial in Bullecourt. Every French village and town has it's memorial with the names of "Ses Enfants Morts Pour La France".

France lost 1,358,000 Soldiers in WW1.

In WW2 she lost an estimated 212,000 soldiers, 267,000 civilians and
83,000 Jews deported to the death camps.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Puts the "Cheese-eating surrender monkey" jibe into perspective, doesn't it.
GttC

[HavocIRL]

Whats with the scratched out name on one of the memorials?

[Groundhog]

Whats with the scratched out name on one of the memorials?

That's a plate on the entrance gate explaining what the Organisation initials are. The scratched out one is FN- Front National. This is a different organisation from Le Pen's right wing Front National but maybe the scratcher didn't know that.

The French are addicted to graffitti apparently.