Reading Blu last night reminded me of the sacrifices made by the resistance fighters in Brittany during the closing months of the war.
The book I was reading (The Next Moon) purchased from the English Bookshop in Josselin was about Captain Bob and Lieutenant Marienne and others, set in the area our house in Bel-Air is situated, during the final weeks of conflict.
Stories of sacrifice, patriotism, love, heartbreak and betrayal give a real flavour of how this community was affected during occupation.
Those who survived obviously aged considerably over the intervening 64 years, but others... like Lieutenant Marienne, along with their acts of courage, are frozen in time and will never age.
As we stood and looked at the spot he and others were betrayed and shot, it's easy to imagine it happening as if it was unfolding before our eyes and that we were experiencing a day that they had been robbed of. It was so tragic.
I have great respect for men and women like him who selflessly fought against tyranny...and still do.
It makes me want to make the very most of the freedom they afforded us.
My post today is dedicated as a personal thank you from a stranger to such people the world over.
I gave John my copy of 'The Next Moon' at the weekend so that he and Hannah can read it before they go to Bel-Air next month. It will make our excursions so much more meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI think they'll enjoy it a lot.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, the post is slightly inacurate. We didn't buy the book in Josselin although we did see it for sale there. Our copy was a gift from you to Bev on her birthday along with another book.
Yes, the other book was called 'The Last Escape' about British POWs forced to march west as the Russian front line drew nearer. It mentioned the camp in which Bev's grandad was a prisoner. I also found out recently that Ann Green's grandad took part in that forced march and I have lent her my book.
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