The events dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the commune’s liberation by soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force took place in the French commune of Coursy (Department of Marne, France). The celebrations were attended by staff of the Russian Embassy in France, representatives of the Russian Military Historical Society, local residents.

During the events, the mayor of the commune Courcy-Martine Jolly was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship for her contribution to the commemoration the memory of Russian soldiers who liberated the city from German occupation in the World War I. The award was presented by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic Alexey Meshkov.

- We will never forget the feat of the soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force. They were sent by Russia to help France during the critical period of the Great War and sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We must convey the memory of this to future generations, - said the head of the city.

The First World War was the hardest ordeal for France. The French managed to withstand this conflict to a large extent with the support that Russia constantly provided to the allies from the very first days of the war.

- Russia, responding to the request of the allies, sent its soldiers here. In the spring of 1917 our soldiers won important victories. All Russian regiments were awarded with  French awards. After the revolutionary events in Russia, about a thousand soldiers of the Russian Force remained in France and participated in the French army in the defense of France until the end of the war,     - said Alexey Meshkov.

The ceremony participants laid wreaths at the monument to the "Russian Soldier", established by the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS) in 2015. The sculptor of the monument is Alexander Taratynov. The monument in Courcy shows a soldier of the Russian Expeditionary Force, who holds a French girl in his arms: this is a real episode, imprinted on one of the photographs of those years. Also the author "has enclosed" a teddy bear in sculpture hands.

On the eve of the 101st anniversary of the commune’s Courcy liberation was held an international charitable action "From descendants to descendants", intended to unite the descendants of fighters of the Russian Expeditionary Force in Russia and France. Dreaming of reestablishing a connection with the historical Motherland, grandsons and great-grandchildren of our compatriots announced in France an action to collect teddy bears.

- It was very touching to see how small children brought teddy bears to send to Russia. The collected toys will go to Orphanage # 9 of Ufa, - said the representative of the RMHS Andrey Semyonov.

- The inhabitants of Courcy are grateful to the Russian soldiers for their exploit, committed during the First World War. Heads of historical clubs, as well as all active participants of the events were awarded with certificates of RMHS and commemorative medals for active participation in events dedicated to preserving historical memory. At the end of the festivities the ensemble "Katyusha" pleased the participants with Russian folk music, - Andrey Semyonov added.

To date, France has more than 200 burials of Russian soldiers and officers, this is more than 11,000 dead soldiers. The search work continues.

To date, in France there are more than 200 burials of Russian soldiers and officers, it is more than 11,000 dead soldiers. Search work is continued.

In 2017, the International Military-Historical Expedition of the the RMHS “Expeditionary Force "Russian Expeditionary Force Courcy" has taken place. The search group of the RMHS, which conducted excavations, discovered the remains of a soldier of the Russian Expeditionary Force, who died here in April 1917, as well as hundreds of household items, uniforms and armaments of opposing armies.

In the spring of 2018, another monument to soldiers and officers of the Russian Expeditionary Force will be opened 15 kilometers from Reims on Mount Mont-Spin.

Reference about the activities of The Russian Military Historical Society

Photos by:Vera Medvedeva