A ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of France takes place at the site of a plane crash near Thorey-en-Plaine. (Website/Le Bien Public)

By Alison Sandstrom

A historic partnership

French village with wartime connection to P.A. seeks sister city status

Jan 16, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert city council appears enthusiastic about becoming the sister city of a small French village.

Thorey-en-Plaine, located just outside the regional capital of Dijon in the east of the country, wrote to P.A. to propose the partnership, and detail the grim event that links the two communities together.

During the Second World War, an allied bomber carrying seven soldiers was shot down while flying over the village. It crashed in the nearby woods.

One of the victims, a gunner named James Reginald Giles, was from Prince Albert. He was 22.

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Seventy-five years later, Giles’ name, along with those of the four other Canadians and one British airmen who perished in the crash are inscribed on a stone tablet at the crash site.

The monument was unveiled at a ceremony in 2018.

Nearby, four holes where the plane’s engines once scorched the earth are visible and devoid of vegetation.

Canadian and British military officers attend the unveiling of the monument honouring the six victims of the crash. (council agenda package/City of P.A.)

“In France, it’s very important for us to preserve the memory of those who fought for us and for our freedom,” Thorey-en-Plaine municipal Councillor Jacques Moré told paNOW. “We thought about how we could honour them, so their memory would live on, especially for the young people.”

Looking to a future partnership

While Moré acknowledges the link between the communities was forged by tragedy, he also hopes the partnership can expand beyond their shared wartime history.

“We can have exchanges, not only about the memory of this hero, but we can take advantage of the opportunity to have cultural exchanges about our lifestyles, what’s going on in our region and in your region in Canada,” he said.

In particular, the community is interested in involving schools.

“In our village, we have students up to 10 years old. Their classes are computerized, and they could communicate with their Canadian friends,” Moré said.

School children in Thorey-en-Plaine attend the inauragation of the memorial at the crash site. (Website/Fadila Khattabi)

Moré added Thorey-en-Plaine would be very happy to welcome a delegation from Prince Albert should they ever wish to visit.

He also had a special message for any of Giles’ family members.

“We thank them for the fact that he gave his life for us. We are keeping his memory alive, we will not forget,” he said.

Exploring a relationship

At Monday night’s city council executive meeting, several councillors spoke in support of pursuing a twinning project with Thorey-en-Plaine.

“I was quite surprised we didn’t have a sister city,” Coun. Evert Botha said. “I think it’s worth exploring.”

Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick cautioned he didn’t want to see the death of a canadian soldier cheapened in any way or used for economic development, but said it was moving to hear about the honouring of a Canadian veteran.

After some discussion, councillors decided to forward Thorey-en-Plaine’s request to the community services advisory committee, where committee members will discuss how best to proceed. They’ll also consult with partners including the Prince Albert Historical Society, veterans groups and the regional economic development organization.

“The graves of your Canadian heroes are also well looked after,” Moré wrote in his letter to the city of Prince Albert. (Council agenda package/City of P.A.)

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom