News
03 Sep 2018
Jersey official visit in the Somme
On 3rd September, a delegation led by the Bailiff of Jersey, alongside the Lieutenant-Governor, the Chief Minister and officials visited Guillemont and Soyécourt in the Somme county, North of France
to commemorate 102th anniversary of the Battle of Guillemont, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI on 11th November 2018. This event was an important ceremony to highlight Jersey’s history and links with France.
The delegation from Jersey paid tribute to the “Jersey Contingent” or so called the “D company” in Guillemont where the island of Jersey has its very own statue remembering the contribution of Jersey men in this terrible battle. The “human shape” statue is made of granite from Jersey and was first officially unveiled on 3rd September 2016. The “heart” of the statue was officially brought back to the island today and will then be presented to the people of Jersey by the Bailiff on 11th November in Royal Square over a public ceremony.
The ceremony in Guillemont was organised by the Mayor, Monsieur Didier Samain and was combined with another ceremony led by the Irish Ambassador in France, Her Excellency Patricia O’Brien, paying tribute to the 7th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles (with responsibility for the “D Company” of Jerseymen) which fought in Guillemont.
The second part of the visit took place in Soyécourt, which the island of Jersey contributed to rebuild post WWI. The Jersey delegation was greeted by the Mayor Mr Luc Maille who shared various interesting historical facts, unknown to Jersey, which led Jersey’s historian Ian Ronayne to start new researches on Jersey’s further contributions after the war.
Press articles are available in the JEP and in the Courrier Picard.