Kassel, Germany – In honor of the 110th anniversary of the First World War, the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. has partnered with French and British organizations to commemorate those who lost their lives in France during the war. As part of a tri-national youth exchange, 24 young people from France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have come together to learn about the history of the war and promote reconciliation.
On July 1st, representatives from the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), and the French Office National des Combattants et des Victimes de Guerre (ONaC VG) will gather at the Lochnagar crater, a historic site where one of the largest explosions in the history of warfare took place in 1916. A ceremony will be held to honor the lives lost during the war and a human chain will symbolize the importance of reconciliation.
The importance of remembrance and carrying forward the lessons of the past is a key focus of the organizations. As part of the youth exchange, the young people will visit museums, war cemeteries, and memorial sites in France, the United Kingdom, and Germany to learn about the violent history of their home countries during the First World War.
On July 1st, the group will take part in a commemorative service at the ‘Memorial to the Missing’ in Thiepval, organized by the Royal British Legion. The monument is the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world and commemorates over 72,300 South African and British soldiers who went missing during the war. The group will also participate in ceremonies at the Chapelle du Souvenir Française in Rancourt and the German war cemetery in Fricourt.
The young people will also engage in discussions and workshops to explore historical issues related to the war such as the mobilization of civilian societies and the different cultures of remembrance in the three nations. They will also take home seeds of poppies, cornflowers, and forget-me-nots – symbols of remembrance in the Commonwealth, France, and Germany respectively.
In addition to the youth exchange, the Volksbund is currently conducting Operation Levi, a project to properly mark the graves of 21 Jewish soldiers buried under a Christian cross in German war cemeteries in France. The organization hopes to send a clear message against anti-Semitism and demonstrate that care for military personnel does not end with death.
For more information, please contact spokesperson Diane Tempel-Bornett at +49561-7009-139 or via email at presse@volksbund.de.
