image of Ditton Parish Sign

image of French flag

Ditton Visitors in Rang du Fliers on Bastille Day,

14 July 2007

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Down to Bastille Day Speech by Jose Collette, the Mayor Of Rang-Du-Fliers

Photographs Taken During the Bastille Day Ceremony  

photograph of The Town Band prepares for the Ceremony

The Town Band prepares for the Ceremony

 photograph of The Mayor of Rang-du-Fliers, the Chairman of Ditton Parish Council and representatives of Ditton Twinning Association wait to lay their floral tributes at the Place de la Paix
The Mayor of Rang-du-Fliers, the Chairman of Ditton Parish Council and representatives of Ditton Twinning Association wait to lay their floral tributes at the Place de la Paix

 
photograph of The Place de la Paix
The Place de la Paix
photograph of Matt Roddick, Ditton's Neighbourhood Police Constable, shakes hands with the Mayor of Rang-du-Fliers
Matt Roddick, Ditton's Neighbourhood Police Constable, shakes hands with the Mayor of Rang-du-Fliers
   

photograph of The Town Majorettes give a display after the ceremony

The Town Majorettes give a display after the ceremony

photogtraph of The Town Square, showing the Church and the English Red Telephone Box outside the Office de Tourisme
The Town Square, showing the Church and the English Red Telephone Box outside the Office de Tourisme. One of four transported to France by a Ditton-based Company after being purchased from BT. The others are located elsewhere in the Town.



BASTILLE DAY SPEECH BY JOSE COLLETTE,

THE MAYOR OF RANG-DU-FLIERS ON 14TH JULY 2007


Citizens; Citizenesses

Why, after so many years, do we celebrate the 14th July, and what does it mean for each one of us? The children learn at School about the guillotining of Louis 16th and Marie Antoinette; we others, the adults, think of the population who rose up for the first time at the storming of the Bastille. The Revolution also caused the toppling of the Monarchy and the establishment of the Republic, whose repercussions and development constituted a major event in European history.

But when was it decided to celebrate 14th July you ask me? Well, at the end of 1789 the Patriots united together from village to village, from town to town, then from province to province, creating federations, constituencies and associations of National Guards. The movement born of the provinces resulted in “The Festival of the National Federation” in Paris. It began in the “Champ de Mars” (Field of March) on the first anniversary of the taking of the Bastille, 14th July 1790…. 14,000 delegates of the National Guards of all the departments arrived in the Capital.

Since 1880, this day is the French National Day, and refers to this celebration of the federation which commemorates the taking of the Bastille. At this time a reproduction of the Bastille, sculpted from an actual stone of the Bastille, was sent to each department. The ideals of the revolution are embraced in the ordered words “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite”. These three words have become the platform of the liberal reforms of the 19th Century in France and Europe, and are still true. You can see that all that is very modern and still here as we go into the third millennium. I advise you to celebrate this National Day with pride and, young and old, make good use of it in memory of this 14th July 1789.

This year, yet again, our faithful friends from Ditton are here to join in the celebrations of our National Day; they never fail to join with us, which we truly appreciate and sincerely thank them.

   

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© 2007 Ditton Parish Council

Last Update ~  31 July 2007