The moving ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Victory of May 8, 1945 took place this Friday in Quimper. The event was presided over by Prefect Louis Le Franc and Vice-Admiral Jean-François Quéréat, and was marked by numerous messages of hope in these darker times. Each speaker did not hesitate to draw parallels between the two eras.
Several wreath-laying ceremonies were carried out in front of the war memorial, including one by Quimper Mayor Isabelle Assih. Representatives from the Ufac (Federal Union of Veterans) and the UNC (National Union of Veterans) were also present. “On May 8, 1945, in Reims and Berlin, the Nazi army surrendered. The Nazi barbarity was finally defeated. May 8, 1945 held a promise of peace. Yet, today we witness the trivialization of ideas that led us to the abominations of the Second World War, despite the lessons of the past. Religious fanaticism, terrorism, a resurgence of nationalism… The return of war around the world reminds us that peace and freedom are never permanently secured.”
A group from the military school of Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan participated in the ceremony in Quimper. Touching texts were read by students from Brizeux, highlighting the victory and end of the war. They quoted resistance fighters and intellectuals Joseph Kessel and Maurice Druon. “The day has come, as the world awaited it. Men knew it was promised. Yet within this certainty, there was a sense of dark incredulity. So many days, so many nights, and so many lives. And this horrible habit of horror pushed within each one,” recited student Pauline Camus.
Another student, Alexis Pitaud, continued with a beautiful interpretation: “Never has expiation been so terrible, complete, and perfect. Its approach has never been so well measured and visible. There is an elemental majesty, a sacred reality that has not yet been reached in our memory of men’s non-misfortune.” German playwright Bertolt Brecht was also quoted: “If we all say no, then war will be peace, and peace the future. People, you are yourselves the destiny of the world, remember our strength.”
The French Souvenir highlighted a local figure, Micheline Le Bot, born in 1927 and deceased in 2025, who had joined the resistance at 17 and carried out intelligence and sabotage missions. “She left behind a legacy of life for France. Her example reminds us that duty is not an abstract idea, it is a concrete commitment. Always essential.”
The ceremony also honored three military personnel: Captain Solène Rovarc’h, Knight of the Legion of Honor, Reserve Battalion Chief Jean-Marc Collet, and Chief Reserve Master Yann Auffret, Knights of the National Order of Merit. Prefect Le Franc evoked Charles de Gaulle’s speech before the National Assembly on May 15, 1945, emphasizing the importance of transmitting moral strength as the first weapon of a people who managed to rise up in the face of adversity.
