Latest news with #Légiond'honneur
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman, 104, who drew up D-Day maps honoured
Veterans and historians have come together to honour one of D-Day's unsung heroes involved in top secret map making. Christian Lamb was a British naval officer who helped draw up the maps for the invasion and was one of only a handful of people who knew about the plans. On Tuesday, the 104-year-old joined a celebration for her achievements at Syrencot House in Salisbury, where Operation Overlord was planned in 1943. She said she was kept in an office by herself while she carried out her secretive work that was integral to the success of the invasion. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire "A ship coming in from England would try to identify where things were and be able to see things like churches, stations - anything visible from the distance," she said. "I had to try and arrange something that would help and they provided me with an office entirely to myself. "I found it enjoyable - I suppose you can concentrate more when you're on your own." She said at the time, it was "impossible" to know whether her work had helped the invasion or not. Last year the French president Emmanuel Macron awarded her with the Légion d'honneur for her service - the highest French Order of Merit for Military and civil merits. During the war she worked in the War office in Whitehall. She made the maps which were then delivered to Syrencot House where Lieutenant- General "Boy" Browning and other generals would use them to see what the shore looked like. Her son Martin Lamb, also attended the celebration in Salisbury and said he was "extremely proud" of his mother. "As a family we didn't know anything about it," he said. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. MP backs D-Day veteran's medal hope WW2 veteran receives French honour
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman, 104, who drew up D-Day maps honoured
Veterans and historians have come together to honour one of D-Day's unsung heroes involved in top secret map making. Christian Lamb was a British naval officer who helped draw up the maps for the invasion and was one of only a handful of people who knew about the plans. On Tuesday, the 104-year-old joined a celebration for her achievements at Syrencot House in Salisbury, where Operation Overlord was planned in 1943. She said she was kept in an office by herself while she carried out her secretive work that was integral to the success of the invasion. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire "A ship coming in from England would try to identify where things were and be able to see things like churches, stations - anything visible from the distance," she said. "I had to try and arrange something that would help and they provided me with an office entirely to myself. "I found it enjoyable - I suppose you can concentrate more when you're on your own." She said at the time, it was "impossible" to know whether her work had helped the invasion or not. Last year the French president Emmanuel Macron awarded her with the Légion d'honneur for her service - the highest French Order of Merit for Military and civil merits. During the war she worked in the War office in Whitehall. She made the maps which were then delivered to Syrencot House where Lieutenant- General "Boy" Browning and other generals would use them to see what the shore looked like. Her son Martin Lamb, also attended the celebration in Salisbury and said he was "extremely proud" of his mother. "As a family we didn't know anything about it," he said. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. MP backs D-Day veteran's medal hope WW2 veteran receives French honour
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gérard Depardieu: the rise and fall of France's global film star
A larger than life figure with a career – and a reputation – to match, Gérard Depardieu is among the few stars of French cinema to be equally well known outside the country. One of the most prolific actors in film history, Depardieu has appeared in more than 200 films and television series since his on-screen debut in 1967, working with directors including Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Alain Resnais, Claude Chabrol, Ridley Scott and Bernardo Bertolucci. A national icon in France – Depardieu is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur and of the Ordre national du Mérite – he has made the rare crossover to stardom in the anglophone world, with his Hollywood hits including Green Card (1990), for which he won the Golden Globe for best actor, as well as Hamlet (1996), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), La Vie en Rose (2007) and Life of Pi (2012). The 76-year-old is known for his portrayals of towering historical figures including Joseph Stalin, Auguste Rodin, Christopher Columbus and Rasputin, as well as heroes of French literature – characters and their creators alike – such as Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Cyrano de Bergerac, Jean Valjean, Obélix and the Count of Monte Cristo. Born Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu on 27 December 1948 to an impoverished family in Châteauroux, central France, he was one of six children. Acting proved his salvation, with money the motivating factor by his own admission. He left his hometown for Paris at the age of 16 to pursue it. There he met director Agnès Varda, the first to cast him – in a short film that was never completed. Read more on RFI English
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Before Paris FC vs PSG was Kolkata with the world's closest derby
Kolkata: Mohun Bagan Super Giants supporters hang tifo during an Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 final football match between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bengaluru FC, at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, in Kolkata, West Bengal. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) The British colonizers wanted Kolkata to be the London of the east, but in spirit, the Bengalis have always preferred Paris. From the musicality of the two languages to the celebration of avant-garde art, the cities do share a bond. When Satyajit Ray won the Légion d'honneur — the highest French national order of merit — in 1987, the standard feeling in Kolkata was: 'We'll always have Paris.' The cultural connect is on the wane. But now, there's a football parallel between the cities as Paris FC won their promotion into the top tier of French football — Ligue 1 . Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Parc des Princes, home to Paris St-Germain, is merely 193m away from the new Paris FC ground, and the fans have already started calling it 'the closest derby in the world .' But then, Kolkata isn't too far away. The East Bengal and Mohun Bagan grounds, located in the Maidan area, are just 800m apart. But if you take a shortcut, it is merely a five-minute walk. The two giants don't play the derby — when it involves senior men's football — at their own grounds anymore. They prefer the Salt Lake Stadium — a la San Siro in Milan — because of security issues. The fact that Salt Lake Stadium can accommodate up to one lakh fans makes it financially viable for the clubs as well. But there was a time when the two teams played at each other's grounds. There was, of course, the 'neutral' Eden Gardens, designated venue of the 'big match', but cricket always took precedence there. The famous 1975 IFA Shield final, where East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 5-0 — the biggest margin recorded between the two teams till date — was played at the Bagan ground. The hero of that afternoon, the late Subhas Bhowmick, would often recall how difficult it was to return to their home tent on that afternoon, with thousands of fans making it an occasion to remember. Till the late 1980s, the two teams did play at each other's homes on and off, especially in the Calcutta Football League. The hockey derby was played at East Bengal and Mohun Bagan grounds, but that's also a thing of the past. Memories of the Maidan derby linger, and when PSG and Paris FC take the field for the 'closest derby,' the old Maidan regular will take a trip down memory lane — once upon a time, it was ours.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
One of the last surviving Bletchley Park codebreakers dies aged 101
A Bletchley Park codebreaker who 'inspired women in the Army for decades' has died at the age of 101. Charlotte 'Betty' Webb, one of the last surviving codebreakers from crucial Second World War operation at the English country house and estate in Buckinghamshire, died on Monday, the Women's Royal Army Corps Association (WRAC) said. She was a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) from 1941 to 1945, indexing German messages and paraphrasing Japanese signals, Bletchley Park said. She later paraphrased Japanese messages at the Pentagon in the US for the Pacific theatre, and was also awarded the Légion d'honneur, France's highest distinction, in 2021 for her work in the ATS. Mrs Webb, from Wythall, Worcs, worked at Bletchley initially as a secretary, which she said was 'pretty boring but had to be done', until she moved into paraphrasing in F block. A German speaker, her job was taking decoded messages and reordering the unencrypted wording to be sent to Allied commanders, so that if intercepted by the enemy, they would not discover their transmissions were being deciphered. Mrs Webb was 18 and studying at domestic science college near Shrewsbury when she and several others on her course decided 'we ought to be serving our country rather than just making sausage rolls'. She started volunteering for the ATS in 1941, according to an interview she gave as part of a Bletchley Park oral history project in February 2012. She completed her basic training in Wrexham at the Royal Welch Fusiliers' barracks before being taken to London for an interview and then immediately to Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes. Mrs Webb remembered registering messages immediately without any training, and said they were told to just 'get on with it', before being taken into a separate room occupied by a 'rather severe' Army captain and given the Official Secrets Act to read. She said every message that came in had to be registered. About 10,000 messages came into Bletchley each day, all requiring sorting and storing correctly. Mrs Webb was then moved into the Japanese section, paraphrasing the translated Japanese messages, and was sent to Washington in May 1945 to assist with the Pacific war effort. She never told anyone about her work and it remained a secret until 1975. She was never able to tell her parents as they had already died. From then on, she gave talks to schools and other organisations and wrote a book about her experiences. She was made an MBE in 2015 for services to remembering and promoting the work of Bletchley Park, which famously cracked the Enigma Code, devised to disguise German messages. Mrs Webb was also invited to the King's Coronation in 2023. She had a front row seat, which she told the BBC was 'magnificent'. In a tribute on Tuesday, the Women's Royal Army Corps Association said: 'Last night, we lost a proud ATS and WRAC veteran, Bletchley codebreaker, Knight of the Légion d'honneur, WRAC Association member and president of our Birmingham branch. 'Betty inspired women in the Army for decades and we will continue to take pride in her service during WW2 and beyond, and as a champion of female veterans.' In a statement, Bletchley Park said her contributions to the estate's work during the Second World War and to ensuring its legacy 'will never be forgotten'. They said: 'Betty was not only a member of the incredible team at Bletchley Park, but she also dedicated much of her life to raising the profile of Bletchley in more recent years. 'Her tireless efforts in bringing the history of Bletchley Park to a wider audience, through sharing the stories of those who worked here, helped ensure that the vital role of Bletchley during the war, and its impact on the conflict, was recognised. 'Betty's passion for preserving the history and legacy of Bletchley has undoubtedly inspired many people to engage with the story and visit the site. Betty's impact at Bletchley Park will be remembered for many years to come.' Iain Standen, chief executive of Bletchley Park Trust, added: 'The trust was very sad to learn of Betty's death. She will be remembered, not only for her work at Bletchley Park, but also for her efforts to ensure that the story of what she and her colleagues achieved is not forgotten. 'She was an unrivalled advocate and supporter of the heritage site that Bletchley Park is today. 'Whether through media interviews, events or books, Betty has been involved in spreading the word about Bletchley Park for many, many years. 'Our thoughts are with her family, friends and all those who were touched by her warmth, dedication and exceptional work.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
