Once upon a time, there was a 10 year old boy who longed to visit Normandy. But not just any old time! His name is Arthur and he has a passion for World War II. Not because of its weapons, noise or passion, but because of its importance as a period 2 or 3 generations before his lifetime.
So, for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, why not visit the places where it all unfolded? Why not celebrate the memory of his great grandfathers involved in the battle? Why shouldn’t Arthur pay tribute to the thousands of freedom fighters like the grown-ups do?
Because this little boy never gave up and with his mum Julie by his side, he stood among the heads of state on Colleville-sur-Mer beach on June 6th 2024.
Let’s look back on D-Day.
A passion
My name’s Arthur. I live in Villers-sur-Loir. I’m 10 and I have a real passion for World War II. Especially D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. “
Arthur wrote these simple yet heartfelt words to the French Minister of Defence and spoke of his wish: to attend the official ceremony in tribute to World War II veterans with his mother and sister.
An official, private and sold-out ceremony held on June 6th in Normandy.
So where does his passion come from?
Arthur is a compulsive reader: French-English dictionary, history books, anything he can get his hands on. Podcasts gave him a thirst for history when he was little too. The journeys and fates of strangers and heroes in wartime broadened his mind and kept him occupied in the car…
“The podcast about Simon Gronowski, a holocaust survivor, really made a mark. They’re historical times that are explained for children, it’s very educational,” says Julie, his mum.
The first trip to Normandy
This isn’t the first time Arthur has visited Normandy though. “I’ve been interested in the entire period for about 2 years but I’ve taken a special interest in the D-Day Landings over the last few months, we visited Normandy on a school trip,” says Arthur. Teachers at Louis Gatien School in Villers-sur-Loir used the 80th anniversary to take children in years 3 to 6 on a school trip to visit Normandy memorial sites. “The teachers take the subject to another level and bring it to life in the place it happened, giving it more body,” says Julie.
D-Day beaches, Colleville-sur-Mer cemetery, Caen Memorial etc. “It means you can see where it all happened.” So much so that Arthur only wanted to do one thing: go back. On D-Day if he could, to pay tribute to the soldiers who liberated France at an official ceremony. We should mention that his class are used to paying tribute to the past. Armed with the bugle he unearthed at a flea market (it’s like a lucky charm now), the schoolboy and his little sister Charlotte regularly take part in memorials and flag raising ceremonies. “The town and school are very involved when it comes to veterans. It’s very important to them: we’ve even gone on holiday a few hours later so they can take part! “ Julie smiles.
Family legacies and personal stories: Arthur’s WWII heritage
This period of history is part of Arthur’s legacy. “My great grandfather, Jean Diraison, and his brother were rounded up on June 30th 1944 in Crozon and deported,” says the boy. Resistance card, documents and even camp pyjamas: history has lived on through Arthur’s grandmother who gave him her father’s belongings. Then there’s the extraordinary story of Marcel Lutz from Alsace who was enlisted in the German army. He is Arthur’s great grandfather on his mother’s side. “He fought on the Russian front and a bullet wound saw him desert back to France, hiding in farms in Hungary,” says Julie. She adds: “I’m fond of this story, I heard from my grandfather. For the generations that come after Arthur, they won’t hear stories first-hand anymore: there are fewer and fewer people who lived through the Second World War. All too often, these personal and traumatic stories die with the people who live through them. So I put a lot of effort into sharing them.”
Arthur’s dedication to WWII Memory
“It’s a real duty, it’s the duty of memory, we must keep it alive. It makes me emotional to think of all those soldiers who didn’t even know us but still came to help us,” Arthur sums up. He’s a boy who knows what he wants: so much so that his parents made him write it all down as punishment one day. But once he’d written his letter, it needed an audience. It was written to the Defence Minister, Normandy’s own Sébastien Lecornu, but how could he be sure it will end up in the right hands? As often happens when you’re 10, any obstacle can be overcome and the solutions are always obvious.
“– Could you mention it where you write your work emails?
– Sweetheart, LinkedIn is just for work.
– The thing is Mum, sending invitations is work.
Checkmate. “
Excerpt from Julie’s LinkedIn post
Julie, who works in marketing, gave in: she posted a lovely article about her son’s request on LinkedIn. “I thought, worst case, it would get 3 likes and would give everyone a laugh during their tea break…”. It didn’t go down like that though: Arthur’s words, his determination and simple letter struck a chord with thousands of people. The letter had 230,000 views within a week; the post got almost 5000 reactions, 329 supportive comments and as many as 816 shares. The LinkedIn algorithm and online excitement fuelled the momentum. Then came the email from the Mission for the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings, Liberation of France and Victory to confirm that the post had reached its intended recipient. It included an invitation for Arthur and Julie to come to Normandy.
Knowing that there are children who have some sense of their critical mind and judgement, and knowledge of the past that will help us avoid making the same mistakes in the future… Yes, that makes me proud.
D-Day in Normandy
There was an outpouring of generosity from Normandy in the wake of the post. An invitation from Virginie Durr to welcome the veterans’ plane on June 3rd, the chance to hear the story of 20 year old Raymond in 1943 from his granddaughter and so much more. Lots of locals who were touched by the letter offered the Loir-et-Chér pair a place to stay. The mother and son stayed with Sandra’s family in Lasson. Her 3 children have the same passion for WWII since hosting “Grandpa Jack”, an American veteran.
Besides the official ceremony, they also wanted to make the most of the two days to get the most from their time: a guided tour from local history buffs Selma and Christophe of Pegasus Bridge, where the first café to be liberated is, or the impressive reconstruction at the Merville Battery site.
The pair laid a flower on a tomb at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. “We do it on behalf of the Les Fleurs de la Mémoire association which our town’s UNC (veterans council) is part of. The idea is that a veteran pledges to lay a flower on the tomb of a soldier who died in battle in 1944 so the family knows there will always be flowers there.” Their town’s veteran is no longer mobile, so Arthur and his mum gladly did it in his place and laid a flower on the tomb of a soldier, coincidentally, called Arthur.
Emotion(s)
It was an incredible day. We felt so many emotions, especially when we saw the veterans. Arthur was in floods of tears when he realised that the photos the veterans were holding were of their brothers in arms who had died since, so they had brought them to Normandy!
He’s going to remember these two days for a long time. Since the memory should live on, the boy will share the experience with his equally enthusiastic classmates. A presentation and videos are on the agenda for when he gets back: memories, values and first-hand testimonials.
In relation to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and Battle of Normandy
Thematics
