A day of commemorations has been held in the Somme town where Allied leaders took the historic decision to appoint Marshal Foch supreme commander of their First World War armies.
The community events on March 25 brought together people not only from Doullens but also Abbeville, where preparations for the 1918 conference were made.
Standard bearers from French veterans groups took part in a parade to Doullens’ imposing war memorial, accompanied by schoolchildren in period dress.
Led by the town band, the procession wound its way through streets decorated with Union Jack bunting, a reminder that Doullens served as a base for British forces in the Arras sector.
France’s Minister for Veterans, Geneviève Darrieussecq, lit the flame at the Monument aux Morts, part of two days of engagements which also took her to London for a UK tribute to Marshal Foch.
The procession then moved onto the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) for a reception and a plaque unveiling in the rooms where – on 26 March 1918 – Ferdinand Foch was put in charge of coordinating the Allied military response to Germany’s spring offensive.
Sunday’s event was a colourful occasion, blending solemnity and informality in equal measure.
Reporting from Doullens by CN Editor
Images: Centenary News