11 Novembre

Yesterday was a holiday in honor of November 11, 1918, when the armistice was signed at the end of World War I. It’s a big deal in France, and especially in the northeast where there was a lot of damage from both world wars. Saint-Quentin is no exception: it was heavily bombed during WWI, and had many casualties during WWII.

I wanted to learn more about the holiday and Saint-Quentin’s role, so I participated in two 11 Novembre events this weekend. The first was a guided tour of WWI sites in Saint-Quentin’s downtown, during which I heard about the intersection of French citizens, English troops, and German forces in Saint-Quentin. It’s interesting to learn about the war while in Europe, since there is so much evidence of its impact at every turn (for instance, Saint-Quentin’s basilica was bombed during WWI – it’s clear that its front section has since been rebuilt).

The second event was Saint-Quentin’s 11 Novembre commemoration ceremony: a march from the town hall to the city’s main world wars memorial. Uniformed veterans and a marching band playing patriotic French songs led the crowd to several monuments before reaching the main memorial. Several people spoke about the wars and the band finished on an upbeat note. It was respectful without being overly gloomy: an interesting cultural experience and a fitting tribute.

~ Basilica: the front section in white is all new ~

~ Memorial to Albert I ~

~ The parade ~

~ Main war memorial ~