70th commemoration of Saint-Nazaire Raid 1942-2012 on March 28th

On Wednesday March 28th 2012, members of 2 Breton associations will proceed to a ceremony paying homage to the brave men of Operation Chariot or St Nazaire Raid. At 10.30 am they will remember them during a silent pause in front of the Vieux Môle

Saint-Nazaire, March 12th 2012

Dalc'homp Soñj – Remember – Souvenons-nous

On Wednesday March 28th 2012 the CREDIB (Center for Research & Diffusion of Breton Identity) together with the " Section Relations Internationales & Interceltiques " of the " Cultural Institute of Brittany / Skol Uhel ar Vro " (ICB) will proceed to a ceremony paying homage to the brave men of Opération Chariot or [St Nazaire Raid].

Those valourous men sailed from Great Britain and offered their lives for our liberty.

The first ceremony

At 10.30 am we shall remember them during a silent pause in front of the "Vieux Môle" - the symbolic place of the sacrifice of the British and their allies. It's exactly there, at the moment of their landing on Breton land in the port of Sant-Nazer / Saint-Nazaire, that Commandos and British sailors suffered most human losses.

A bunch of gorse, a symbol of Breton land, will be laid whereas two pipers will play Breton music - just as they did in 2009 at the shooting of a documentary film on the life of Micky Burn, one of the heroes of Operation Chariot : http://credibsantnazer.hautetfort.com/archive/2010/04/index.html

We shall also remember the Bretons who contributed to the success of this daring raid, thanks to the information they transmitted to the British. Among them, the founder of Seiz Breur (7 brothers): the artist and ethnologist René-Yves Creston, with other Breton militants from Sant-Nazer / Saint-Nazaire, who started a network of informers as soon as I940.

After the silent pause, we shall have commentaries by André Daniel, a historian, Hubert Chemereau, author of an article on the raid in the Breton cultural magazine "ArMen" (The stone), and James Dorrian

James Dorrian supports the Protest on June 18th in Nantes

I wish you well with the protest, and hope it is very well attended: also that the weather is kind to you all... In the UK it is now government policy to embrace diversity. What a pity France cannot see the sense in preserving the old cultures. Irish-Canadian, friend of Brittany and passionate about its history and particularly the St Nazaire Raid

, the great Irish specialist on the raid.

The next ceremony

Then we shall proceed on to the ceremony for this seventieth anniversary, in front of the "Monument au Commando" at 11.30 am.

Hubert Chémereau for CREDIB and ICB. Translation Yvette Daniel from

Le CREDIB et l'Institut culturel de Bretagne organisent le 28 mars 2012 un hommage aux braves de l'Opération Chariot à Saint-Nazaire

Ils arrivèrent de Grande-Bretagne par la mer et sacrifièrent leur vie pour notre liberté. A 10 h, nous nous recueillerons devant le Vieux Môle qui symbolise le sacrifice des Britanniques et de leurs alliés. C'est en voulant prend pied en terre bretonne à cet endroit du port de Saint-Nazaire

More

British and Bretons salute the heroes of Operation Chariot in Saint-Nazaire

A great moment of emotion between the British and the Bretons who came to pay tribute to the commandos and sailors of the St Nazaire Raid – or Operation Chariot, fallen for freedom on March 28th, 1942

: the 2011 official ceremony with many photos, and

HMS Campbeltown and Sant-Nazer, a special memory

The sailors of the frigate HMS Campbeltown will keep a special memory of their visit to Sant-Nazer. On March 30th the ship left the Breton harbour for a one-way journey. Many thanks to Captain Keri Harris for his kindness, his excellent French and his numerous friendly gestures towards the Bretons and their identity.

http://www.culture-bretagne.org/ and http://blog.culture-bretagne.org/ of Cultural Institute of Brittany / Skol Uhel ar Vro and http://credibsantnazer.hautetfort.com/ of CREDIB.

Books linked with Operation Chariot or St Nazaire raid: © James Dorrian: March 2006. Material contained in this site is subject to copyright and must not be reproduced in any form without permission... With kind permission for CREDIB and ABP:

– Storming St Nazaire - James G. Dorrian 1998/2001: Pen & Sword Books Ltd: isbn-085052 8070: http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=291 – Saint-Nazaire: Operation Chariot-1942 - James Dorrian 2006: Pen & Sword Books, Ltd: isbn-1844153347 http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=818 and http://www.jamesgdorrian.com/intro.html to read the introduction. – Turned Towards the Sun - Michael Burn 2003: A Clocktower Paperback - Michael Russell (Publishing) Ltd - isbn-978-0-85955-308-7.

The great heroe of the Saint-Nazaire Raid, Mike Burn, died yesterday

As a film telling his life, for which James Dorrian is advisor and co-producer, will soon be finished, Michael Burn died last evening after a stroke. He was 97. Michael Clive Burn is an English journalist, commando, writer and poet. In connexion with his part in the Operation Chariot, he received the Military Cross (MC), the third most important British distinction awarded to British officers.

: Mick Burn has died.