A “remarkable” commemoration of May 8th 1945

Cloudy skies and a few drops of rain led us to fear the worst. Nevertheless, although the skies remained gloomy in the late morning of Thursday May 8, the official ceremony commemorating the victory of May 8, 1945 took place in dry conditions. The ceremony was attended by a large panel of elected representatives, including the president of the Collectivité territoriale, Xavier Lédée, the mayor of Concarneau, Marc Bigot (present for the arrival of the Transat Paprec), the prefect's chief of staff, Marie-Hildegarde Chauveau, and the president of the Saint-Barthélemy veterans' federation, Philippe Laduré. After the customary speeches and the laying of wreaths in front of the war memorial, four schoolgirls read out the testimony of François Macé, a veteran of the German occupation during the Second World War. Schoolchildren from the Gustavia school group then sang the Marseillaise. The ceremony was well attended. “It was remarkable”, commented the mayor of Concarneau.