Lee Miller was one of the rare women war correspondents in World War II, photographing and reporting on D-Day, the liberation of Europe and some of the first images of Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps. An exhibition celebrates her reporting of the siege of Saint-Malo in August 1944, before a biopic arrives on cinema screens, … Continue reading “Lee Miller: Photographing World War II”
On June 6, 1944 at dawn, Operation Overlord, the largest airborne and naval offensive in history, was launched by the Allied forces to open a second front in Western Europe against Nazi Germany. After months of titanic preparations mobilising nearly 5 million men and immense logistics, an armada of 4,300 landing ships and 500 warships, … Continue reading “Operation Overlord: the Turning Point of World War II”
There are many “D-Days” but only one D-DAY that everyone remembers and is still celebrated 80 years after it took place. 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy. More than 150,000 troops, from more than 13 different countries landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944, helped by thousands of civilians in … Continue reading “Commemorating D-Day”
Siegfried Sassoon was one of the most famous of the British World War I poets but unlike Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke or Edward Thomas, Sassoon survived the war he had despised while serving brilliantly. Terence Davies’ final film traces both the war service and the long life looking for meaning which followed, with Jack Lowden … Continue reading “Benediction: Siegfried Sassoon Biopic”
Remember Together is a project that encourages British school children to research the history of their families or people in their community and the role they played in the World Wars, with a particular emphasis on unearthing the histories of those who are often forgotten in official Remembrance Day ceremonies, like the more than 3 … Continue reading “Remembering All Who Served”
Since 1994, the Prix Bayeux has been awarded annually to war correspondents. The event also organises a schools’ project: Regard des jeunes de 15 ans. 3ème classes from France or abroad can vote for one of 20 press photos they feel best symbolises the world today. Votes close on 29 September. The Prix Bayeux was … Continue reading “Pupils Vote on Press Photography”
President Biden will give his first State of the Union Address on 1 March. The State of the Union address is an annual event when both Houses of Congress join to hear the President give a speech about the situation in the country and major initiatives he intends to take in the following months. It … Continue reading “What is the State of the Union Address?”
Any image of people in the UK, Canada and Australia in November is likely to include some who are wearing a red paper poppy in their lapel. The Poppy Appeal for war veterans in the run-up to Remembrance Day began in the aftermath of World War I. Today, as the British and Commonwealth armies commemorate … Continue reading “Poppy Day”
9/11 … a date etched in everyone’s memory forever. 20 years ago, the world changed tremendously in a few hours. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were as unexpected as life-changing for the whole world. Commemorations and various events are to take place in the U.S. to pay tribute to those who lost … Continue reading “20th Anniversary of 9/11”
The Institut-Franco-Américain in Rennes is marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with an exhibition and a talk. On 21 September, Florian Treguer from University Rennes 2 will look back on the 9/11 attacks through the prism of Don DeLillo’s 2007 novel Falling Man. And an exhibition, 20 Ans Après Never Forget, by … Continue reading “9/11 Commemorated in Rennes”