Lanton Souvenir français graves of soldiers who died for France, Digi Mart USA News (Lanton, France): During the Journée du Souvenir français on Sunday, November 1, the local committee of this patriotic association played an active role. Its president, Philippe Salles de Saint Paul, recalled the mission of the national association, whose goal is that no grave of those who died for France disappears from municipal cemeteries.
The committee has identified all of these graves in the municipal cemetery and noted the troubling number of young men from Lanton who died for France: 37 in 1914–1918, 8 in 1939–1945, 1 in Algeria from 1958 to 1962, and 1 in external operations in 2022, for a total of 47.
During the ceremony, Marie-France Cavernes, first deputy representing the mayor, stressed the importance of patriotic duty in maintaining a free France and confirmed the wish to secure these graves through permanent concessions. The committee announced that, in collaboration with the town hall, it will locate the graves of those buried in Lanton and maintain them when families no longer do so.
The ceremony was attended by elected officials, representatives of other patriotic associations, firefighters and gendarmes. It began at Taussat before the stele honoring the Resistance fighters Guy Célérier and Ginette Marois, then continued at the Lanton cemetery in front of the military plot and graves already listed as holding other soldiers who died for France.
The next ceremony will take place Wednesday, November 11, to commemorate the armistice. A mass will be held at 10 a.m.
at the Saint-Éloi church in Andernos-les-Bains. At noon, a gathering will take place at the Lanton war memorial, followed by a ceremony with wreath-laying at 12:10 p.m.
The event will close with an honorary reception at the Lanton community center.
