-
Women given right to vote in France 80 years ago
It came a full 96 years after suffrage was extended to all men in France - and 51 years after New Zealand offered the vote to its women
-
EU proposes talks with UK for easy work and study for under-30s
Labour says this looks too much like a return to pre-Brexit free movement and it has ‘no plans’ to negotiate such a deal. The UK government does not want an EU-wide scheme.
-
Telecom firms, utilities: which offer English language services in France?
We checked out any advertised dedicated helplines
Police seek witnesses after WWI memorial gates stolen in north France
The heavy metal gates normally protect the entrance of the Indian memorial in Neuve-Chapelle, and police say someone must have seen the theft
Police have appealed for witnesses after thieves stole heavy metal gates from a major World War One war memorial in northern France.
The incident occurred at the Indian memorial in Neuve-Chapelle, Richebourg, Pas-de-Calais, some time between March 31 and April 6.
The gates stolen are very heavy and normally protect the entrance of the memorial, which stands in remembrance of Indian soldiers who died during the conflict.
Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial #Richebourg #ww1 pic.twitter.com/SmALspASRA
— Mark Collins (@zoton78) June 5, 2015
Four different approaches to remembrance on today's tour of 1915 battlefields: Richebourg's Portuguese National Cemetery, the sombre German cemetery at Laventie, the magnificent Indian Memorial at Neuve Chapelle and the Royal Irish Rifles Graveyard, Laventie. pic.twitter.com/DQhIDFOpEz
— Simon Batten (@SimonBatten3) November 3, 2021
Given the gates’ weight and size, police suspect that the thieves must have had significant logistical support and that the theft must have taken some time, given that the gates were meticulously dismantled from the wider monument without leaving any other damage.
As a result, the gendarmerie believes that it is likely that someone saw something, and they have now launched an appeal for witnesses and information.
The investigation is still ongoing and no one has yet been questioned or arrested.
Anyone with any information is requested to contact the Laventie gendarmerie on 03 21 27 62 17.
While war memorials usually escape the worst of metal thefts, the region was hit in 2007 and 2008 by the desecration of the Muslim square of the Notre Dame de Lorette memorial.
Related articles
French WWII Oradour memorial vandalised with denial messages
France votes to rehabilitate memory of soldiers shot in World War One
British soldiers killed in D-Day landings finally get fitting memorial
