De Gaulle and Churchill Statues in Paris

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There are many statues in Paris but near the Grand Palais there are two of the most important statesmen of the 20th century immortalised in bronze.



The first is the bronze statue of Charles de Gaulle, depicted in his French General's uniform in  August 1944 when he led the parade down the Champs Elysee when Paris was liberated from four years of German occupation.  
It took until the year 2000 for the former general and President of the French Republic to have a statue in the city that owed him so much for leading the fight to liberate France.  However this was because De Gaulle didn't want a statue rather than a sign of disrepect by the French people. 
The De Gaulle family lifted the ban and the resulting monument stands proud outside the Grand Palais looking out over the Champs Elysee.




The second statue is situated 200 metres away on the otherside of the road close to the Pont Alexander III on the Avenue Winston Churchill and depicts Sir Winston Churchill in the uniform he wore in August 1944 for the liberation of Paris.  The £250,000 statue, which was paid for by donations from the French people, was unveilled in November 1998 by HM Queen Elizabeth and then French President Jacques Chirac. 



The 3.2m high statue by French sculptor Jean Cardot is made of bronze and weighs two-and-a-half tonnes. Churchill is now one of the few foreigners to have his likeness on display in Paris.
CLICK HERE for the report on the BBC News website of the unveiling of the statue on 11th November 1998
Images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon XF 35mm f1.4 lens
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