FIGHTING FRANCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20837, 16 July 1942, Page 5

FIGHTING FRANCE

LONDON CEREMONY REDEDICATION TO SERVICE GEN. DE GAULLE HAILED (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (10.30 a.m.) LONDON. July 14. Thousands crowded around Marshal Foch’s statue in London where General De Gaulle, leader of the Fighting French, laid a wreath. This was the principal ceremony of hundreds throughout the world at which the Fighting French re-dedicated themselves to the destruction of the Bastille of Nazidom. In London that determination was symbolised by French commandos with fixe,d bayonets around Marshal Foch’s statue. From dawn London’s French colony and . sympathisers assembled. Long before General De Gaulle arrived the traffic had to be diverted. General de Gaulle received a tremendous ovation. Tricolours waved from thousands of hands and cheers and cries, “Vive la France” resounded. General de Gaulle laid a wreath amid the many which were already around the statue. The crowd then broke through the police barrier in an enthusiastic demonstration for General de Gaulle. The streets had' to be forcibly cleared for the march past of the Fighting French. General de Gaulle pinned medals on 36 French heroes. 5,000,000 Leaflets Dropped In the early hours of this' morning, French National Day, nearly 5,000,000 leaflets were dropped by aircraft of the Bomber Command on Paris, Vichy and the industrial north of France. All the aircraft returned safely. The crews reported that their mission had been completed satisfactorily. The leaflets contained a message to the people of France by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, on behalf of the whole British people: “Not only disarmed by the enemy but deliberately misled by your leaders, you have maintained unfaltering hostility towards the invader and refused to place any confidence in the politicians whom the Germans imposed upon you.” He referred to the courage of members of Fighting France in Britain, the Middle East and elsewhere, but the heroism of the people who continued the struggle inside France, in spite of the Hitler terror was no less great. He gave an assurance that the war would go on till Germany was beaten and European liberty restored. “For us the full restoration of France as a great Power is not only a declared war aim and the fulfilment of a pledge made, but also a practical necessity if post-war reconstruction is to be undertaken within the framework of that traditional civilisation which is our common heritage.”