The stone marking the grave of Jim Giles of Prince Albert is second from the left, located in Thorey-en-Plaine, France. (Submitted photo/City of Prince Albert)

By Susan McNeil

City Hall

Council approves pairing with city in France

Jun 17, 2022 | 6:00 PM

It’s official. Prince Albert is friends with Thorey en Plaine, France following approval of a charter between the two cities.

The French community started the idea to honour six Canadian soldiers who died there in WWII, including Jim Giles of Prince Albert.

“Thorey en Plaine is very committed to educating their young people about the history of the wars and ensuring that we never forget the sacrifices made,” says Judy MacLeod Campbell, art and culture co-ordinator for the City of Prince Albert.

Ideas for the partnership include a possible elementary school exchange in the next school year.

“This partnership presented a unique opportunity to connect young people across oceans, preserve history, remember those who lost their lives for freedom, and share culture and language,” said MacLeod Campbell.

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Giles was born in Prince Albert and lived south of town in the Red Deer Hill area. He was one of six allied airmen who died when their plane was shot down over France in 1944.

Thorey en Plaine, with a population of just over 1,000, looks after the graves of the soldiers, and a monument at the site of the crash.

The official friendship has been two years in the making and is the result of meetings over Zoom, developing a joint committee and a charter.

On Monday, Prince Albert city council approved the charter.

From Prince Albert, the committee includes MacLeod Campbell, Michelle Taylor and Michael Gange from the Prince Albert Historical Society; Jim Giles’ nephew, Soraya Ellert, who is also executive director of The Société Canadienne-Francophone de Prince Albert – French Canadian Society of Prince Albert; Catharine Topping, principal at École Valois; Brenda Cripps with the Prince Albert Legion; and, Michelle Hassler, executive director of the Prince Albert Multicultural Council.

One of the goals of the Charter is to support any project begun by or aimed at young people.

It also aims to develop relationships with the deaths of the Canadian and British airmen in the crash of July 26, 1944.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow