 The bodies of 97 Guernsey soldiers were set to be exhumed |
The graves of Guernsey soldiers who died in the Battle of the Somme have been saved. The French government has shelved plans for a third Paris airport which would have involved bulldozing 11 Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries.
The bodies of some of the 97 Guernsey men who died in the ranks of the 16th Irish Division during 1916 were to be exhumed and reburied to make way for the new runways.
The soldiers involved were members of a group of islanders who volunteered for service with the British Army early in the First World War.
Five hundred men were sent to join the 16th Irish Division, serving in Guernsey companies within the Royal Irish Regiment and the Royal Irish Fusiliers.
Widespread criticism
They took part in many of the great actions on the Somme front and many of them paid the ultimate price.
The airport plans drew widespread criticism, not only from the Somme area but also from the British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand governments.
The land on which the cemeteries lie was presented in perpetuity to the British people by the French in 1919.
Commonwealth War Graves spokesman Time Reeves said the commission was very relieved at the news the airport project had been cancelled.
"Public reaction has forced the French government into a rethink," he said.
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