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Third Paris airport decision facing grave problems

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Old 16th Nov 2001, 16:44
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Post Third Paris airport decision facing grave problems

Ah, the insensitivity of the French Govt. at its best!

Several news sources report that plans for the third Paris airport at Chaulnes, may involve the removal and reburial of a number of soldiers who were killed in the First World War. This despite their graves being on land to be held "in perpetuity".

The full story from the DT:

Click here...

Sorry about URL, every time I edit it, it adds the "space" between "ixhomef." and the "html" suffix, very strange!

[ 16 November 2001: Message edited by: newswatcher ]

[ 16 November 2001: Message edited by: Sick Squid ]
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Old 16th Nov 2001, 17:55
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Bizarre.... anyway, here's the text, since I can't fix the bug with my sledgehammer.

War graves are threatened by new Paris airport
By Harry de Quetteville in Paris
(Filed: 16/11/2001)

THE graves of tens of thousands of soldiers who died on the Somme during the First World War are expected to be dug up and moved under French government plans announced last night plans for a third major airport to serve Paris.

Among them are 60 British soldiers buried at Rosiers, in land once granted in perpetuity for Commonwealth war graves by the French state. They may now be exhumed to make way for the new airport at Chaulnes, 15 miles east of Amiens.

Six more Commonwealth soldiers, including three Britons, are buried in the largely French cemetery at Lihons, which contains more than 6,000 bodies and is almost certain to be moved to make way for the airport.

A mass grave containing the bodies of more than 20,000 German soldiers near the village of Vermandovillers, one of several hamlets to be wholly razed from the map if the project goes ahead, will also probably have to be relocated.

"No one from the French government has contacted us to tell us about the project," said Roy Hemington at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in France. "Moving graves is something we try to avoid at all costs."

The French prime minister, Lionel Jospin, announced the site of the third international airport, which is designed to relieve congestion at Roissy and Orly airports, last night.

Chaulnes was one of eight candidate sites around the capital. Situated 80 miles north of Paris, it is close to a high-speed rail line and two motorways.

Local residents are fiercely opposed to the proposed 15-year, £6 billion project, claiming that it would blight the region and that the road and rail links are already overloaded.

There was also opposition from within the government. The environment minister, Yves Cochet, has questioned its necessity when Orly airport, south of Paris, is at present under-used.

The Rosiers war cemetery lies on the edge of the site. Its fate will be decided once the airport's design is finalised.

"If we discover that the cemetery is going to be underneath the main runway, then the bodies will be relocated to other cemeteries close by," said Mr Hemington.

He added that if the graveyard simply fell within the perimeter fence and families were given proper access it would "probably be acceptable".

Despite the present problems, Mr Hemington said, the French government had a good record when accommodating war cemeteries during previous civil engineering projects.

"Up to now they have changed the routes of some motorways for us, and there are even bends in some high-speed train lines to avoid the cemeteries," he said.

Charles Lewis, a spokesman for Royal British Legion headquarters in London, said: "Many of our 650,000 members would be very upset if this happened. The Somme is of particular significance and is synonymous with the 1914-18 war. I think there would be a disappointed reaction throughout the country. This would be a very unpopular decision."

Among those whose bodies will almost certainly have to be moved are Pte C G Painter of the Machine Gun Corps, Pte James Steele of the Lancashire Fusiliers, and Pte Joseph Tyrrell of the Royal Fusiliers, who are among 6,287 soldiers buried at the huge French cemetery of Lihons.

Like most of the Commonwealth dead affected by the plan, they were killed as the German and Allied forces advanced and retreated in turn in 1917 and 1918.
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Old 16th Nov 2001, 18:29
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Bit of a contrast to the Terminal 5 farrago isn't it?

I know Paris can have a pretty short way with local protests, but it certainly gives France some decent infrastructure!
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Old 17th Nov 2001, 01:45
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Don't think much of your jaunty headline to this topic, newswatcher. Piers Morgan of the Mirror would be proud of you!
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Old 17th Nov 2001, 16:08
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Hello guys

Being french, I would be very ashamed if nothing was done to find a satisfying issue for all.
Some people here,do remember, that commonwealth soldiers died to help us. I am also aware that the thousands of German soldiers,were fighting because told to do so ...I hope they will all remain in peace.

[ 18 November 2001: Message edited by: PorcoRosso ]
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