Sample
Transcription
Sample
The Town That Never Forgets N’oublions jamais l’Australie Written by Derek Guille Illustrated by Kaff-eine Translated by Anne-Sophie Biguet Prologue by Derek Guille U ntil recently I knew very little about the It has become very clear to me that more town of Villers-Bretonneux. All I knew Australians should know about this place, about was that there was a village in France whose what happened there in World War I and the citizens continued to keep a promise, made legacy and strength of friendship that remains. almost a century ago, to never forget the Australians who saved them in World War I. If we want our children to really know about I was fortunate to accompany the Melbourne war we should tell them the stories of the Symphony Orchestra on it’s 2007 European people who fought in them. Nelson Ferguson’s or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or tour as a journalist and blogger. Members of story is representative of thousands who served mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any the Brass Section told me of their plans to visit and suffered, and to follow his story to northern Villers-Bretonneux, inviting me to recite the Ode France was for me a privilege and a true of Remembrance at a private commemorative education. The Promise - The Town That Never Forgets Copyright © Derek Guille 2012. Paintings copyright © Kaff-eine 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publishers. This edition (2nd printing) published May 2013 by: One Day Hill Pty Ltd 7 Peel St, Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia www.onedayhill.com.au service for Nelson Ferguson and all those who served. That day in Villers-Bretonneux is deeply My thanks to Nelson Ferguson for keeping his etched into the memories of all of us as a diaries and to Nelson’s grandsons Don and Printed in China truly remarkable and emotional experience. Dave Farrands for bringing his story to life. Thanks Catalouging-in-Publication Data is available from the National Library of Australia We were warmly welcomed as friends and also to Kaff-eine for her brilliant illustrations and discovered the depth of feeling that remains instant understanding, to Anne-Sophie Biguet for Australia and Australians. for the translation and to Bernadette Walters and her team for making this happen. RED BILBY DESIGN I f you go to the north of France you can visit a certain village with a school on Victoria Street. It’s just near the intersection with Melbourne Street, and the school is called Victoria School. In the main classroom you will find all the flags of Australia – our national flag, the flags of all the states and territories, and the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal flags. You will also see road signs warning of kangaroos and wombats and koalas on the road, even though none of these animals can be found on the roads of France. Above the blackboard in the classroom is written N’oublions jamais l’Australie, which is French for ‘Do Not Forget Australia’. It’s written above the shelter shed in the schoolyard too, in English. There are about forty students at the Victoria School in the village of Villers-Bretonneux and they know a lot about Australia. S i tu vas dans le nord de la France, tu pourras visiter un village qui a une école sur la rue Victoria. Elle est juste à coté de l’intersection avec la rue de Melbourne, et l’école s’appelle école Victoria. Dans la salle de classe principale tu trouveras tous les drapeaux de l’Australie – le drapeau national, les drapeaux de tous les états et territoires, celui de l’Ile du Détroit de Torres, ainsi que le drapeau aborigène. Tu verras aussi des panneaux routiers indiquant le passage de kangourous, de wombats et de koalas sur la route, bien qu’aucun de ces animaux ne se trouve sur les routes de France. Au-dessus du tableau noir dans la salle de classe est écrit: “N’oublions jamais l’Australie”. C’est également écrit au-dessus du préau dans la cour, cette fois en anglais. Il y a environ quarante élèves à l’école Victoria dans le village de Villers-Bretonneux et ils en savent beaucoup sur l’Australie. 1 2 I n 1918, the world was in the final stages of World War I and Australian soldiers were sent to regain Villers-Bretonneux from German troops who had invaded and occupied the little village, which is only an hour from Paris. Over the course of two terrible battles, the Australians regained the village and stopped the German advance. These battles were in March and April. In that time, hundreds of soldiers lost their lives and thousands were wounded by bullets, bombs and poison gas. Australian soldiers took the village back on Anzac Day in 1918, and the villagers have been grateful ever since. E n 1918, le monde était en guerre et des soldats australiens furent envoyés pour reprendre Villers-Bretonneux aux mains des troupes allemandes qui avaient envahi et occupé le petit village qui se trouve seulement à une heure de Paris. Au cours de deux terribles batailles, les Australiens reprirent le village et arrêtèrent l’avancée allemande. Ceci se déroula en mars et en avril. Durant ces mois-là, des centaines de soldats perdirent la vie et des milliers furent blessés par des balles, des bombes ou des gaz toxiques. Les soldats australiens reprirent le village le jour de l’Anzac1 en 1918, et depuis lors les villageois leur en sont reconnaissants. 1 Le 25 avril de chaque année, l’Australie et la Nouvelle-Zélande rendent hommage aux soldats de l’ANZAC (Australian and New-Zealand Army Corps-corps d’armée australien et néo-zélandais) en commémoration de la bataille de Gallipoli en Turquie pendant la Première Guerre mondiale. (N.d.T) 3 4 S hortly after the war ended, the people returning to restart their lives in the village wanted to thank the Australian soldiers. They decided to have a plaque made to recognise the efforts undertaken on their behalf. As the plaque was presented the mayor gave the following speech: ‘The first inhabitants of Villers-Bretonneux to re-establish themselves in the ruins of what was once a flourishing little town have, by means of donations, shown a desire to thank the valorous Australian Armies, who, with the spontaneous enthusiasm and characteristic dash of their race, in a few hours drove out an enemy ten times their number . . . They offer a memorial tablet, a gift which is but the least expression of their gratitude, compared with the brilliant feat which was accomplished by the sons of Australia . . . Soldiers of Australia, whose brothers lie here in French soil, be assured that your memory will always be kept alive, and that the burial places of your dead will always be respected and cared for . . . ’. Peu après la fin de la guerre, les gens rentrés au village pour y reprendre leur vie voulurent remercier les soldats australiens. Ils décidèrent d’ériger une plaque commémorative en reconnaissance des efforts effectués en leur nom. Alors qu’on inaugurait la plaque, le maire prononça le discours suivant: “Les premiers habitants de Villers-Bretonneux qui se rétablirent dans les ruines de ce qui était autrefois une petite ville prospère ont, au moyen d’une donation, montré leur désir de remercier les valeureuses armées australiennes, qui avec leur enthousiasme spontané et leur élan typique, chassèrent en quelques heures un ennemi de dix fois leur taille. Ils offrent une 5 plaque commémorative en signe de gratitude, un bien modeste geste comparé à l’exploit brillant accompli par les fils d’Australie…Soldats d’Australie, dont les frères reposent ici dans le sol français, restez assurés que votre souvenir restera à jamais vivant, et que les lieux de funérailles de vos morts seront toujours traités et entretenus avec le plus grand respect.” 5 6