On June 16, 1940, following the resignation of the President of the Council, Paul Reynaud, General de Gaulle decided to leave for England the next day to continue the fight.
From London, General de Gaulle delivered a call for resistance on June 18, 1940, on the BBC, urging the French to refuse defeat and to fight.
June 18, 1940, has since become a part of the national heritage. Its mention overshadows to the point of annihilating the message and image of Marshal Pétain in documentaries about the period. In all history textbooks, it is the symbol of honor, courage, and hope.
It is etched in French memories as one of the greatest dates of a great past.
This Sunday, June 18, at 12 noon, at Place de la République where a statue representing General de Gaulle is erected, the state authorities and national and local representatives will commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Appeal of June 18, 1940.
Speeches will be given by Lieutenant Colonel Marie Christine Fix, Departmental Delegate of the Alpes-Maritimes for the Fondation de la France Libre, by Mr. Éloi Chapelin, departmental laureate of the National Resistance and Deportation Competition who will read the text of General de Gaulle’s speech, and by Mr. Georges-François Leclerc, Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, who will read the message from the Minister of the Armed Forces,
This will be followed by the laying of wreaths, with the participation of children from Jules Ferry primary school, the performance of La Marseillaise, and the Chant des Partisans.
