French troops training to use the Hotchkiss machine gun in 1917 at the Instruction Centre, Cambronne, Oise, France, courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, © IWM, Q 69510

France’s Centenary Fund approves €1 million for First World War projects

France’s Centenary Fund has approved €1 million worth of funding support for 286 First World War Centenary projects.

The Centenary Fund is overseen by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Kader Arif, and is part of France’s wider programme to commemorate the conflict, Mission Centenaire 14-18.

The fund receives financing from the French Government, businesses and individuals.

Of the 286 projects, 57% are cultural and tourism projects, 32% focus on education, 7% are sceintific projects and 4% concern First World War memorials.

The announcement that the projects had received cumulative funding of €1 million was made earlier in 2014, and a second meeting of the Centenary Fund to allocate further resources is expected to take place this month.

Source: Mission Centenaire 14-18 press release

Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News