In Nice, the memory of Georges Guynemer honored 109 years after his disappearance

109 years ago, Georges Guynemer disappeared in the skies of Flanders. This Friday, September 11, his name resonated once again in Nice, at the square bearing his name, where military personnel, elected officials and representatives of institutions gathered to pay tribute to the famous French aviator.

Time has passed, but the memory remains. This Friday morning, about twenty military personnel gathered at the Guynemer square, rue de Foresta, in Nice, to commemorate the disappearance of Captain Georges Guynemer. Flags, uniforms and decorations accompanied this ceremony placed under the sign of the duty to remember.

Among the representatives present, Hervé de Surville represented Éric Ciotti, mayor of Nice, while Gaëlle Frontoni represented Charles Ange Ginésy, president of the Alpes-Maritimes department. Around them, the military personnel participated in this solemn moment, recalling that Guynemer’s name remains deeply linked to the history of the French Air Force.

After the various tributes, voices were raised to sing La Marseillaise. A few moments during which Guynemer square took on another dimension. The ceremony ended in silent reflection, with a thought for the one who, more than a century ago, had become one of the faces of French aviation. Speaking, an officer of the French Navy expressed it in a few words: “To the French soldier, there is an imperishable memory.“

A young man who became a national hero

Born in 1894, Georges Guynemer became, during the First World War, one of the most famous French fighter pilots. Member of the Storks Squadron, he counted 53 confirmed victories and became one of the great “aces” of French aviation.

His motto, “Face up”, remained inseparable from his name. On September 11, 1917, while he is a captain, Guynemer takes off for a mission over Flanders. He will never return to his base. His plane disappears during an aerial combat near Poelkapelle, in Belgium. His body and his aircraft will never be found with certainty.

109 years after his disappearance, his name continues to live on. In Nice, this ceremony made it possible to recall the extraordinary destiny of this young pilot who became a figure of the Great War, but also to keep alive, for the duration of a tribute, the duty to remember that is dedicated to him.