Armed Forces Day visit for ‘French war leader’

The visit will form part of a day of activities to commemorate and celebrate the 80th anniversary of the 2nd World War, which ended with the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945 and the defeat of Japanese forces in the Far East three months later.

At 6ft 5in, de Gaulle was a towering figure in more ways than one. After escaping to Britain when the Germans invaded France in 1940, he formed what he called the French government in exile and became leader of the Free French forces. Later, he served as President of France from 1959-69.

For his ‘look-alike,’ Stefen Dicks, from Lincolnshire, portraying the General is “an honour.” He’s a familiar face at 1940s commemoration events with the ‘doubles’ of other wartime figures, including Winston Churchill and General Montgomery.

Now, he is looking forward to visiting Ellesmere, a short distance from Gadlas Hall, the period country house at Criftins, which de Gaulle and his family rented during the early years of the war.

It is often suggested that the General was sent there because of his sometimes fractious relationship with Winston Churchill, who apparently wanted him out of the way.

But it seems more likely that the move was prompted by his younger daughter Anne’s terror of the Blitz on London, and his desire to see his family settled in the safety and solitude of the Shropshire countryside, while he spent most of time in the capital, trying to work out how to free France from Nazi tyranny.

With its boating pond, spacious gardens and tucked-away summer house, Gadlas was an ideal retreat. It was owned by the late Sir Francis Taylor, a prominent barrister and judge, who later became Lord Maenan of Ellesmere.

For security reasons, the family kept themselves to themselves. and the language barrier also made things difficult, as Madame de Gaulle could speak hardly any English.

One newspaper later quoted Tom Humphreys, a gardener at the hall for 30 years, as saying: “If she knew you could speak a little French, she wouldn’t try to speak English at all.”

According to the newspaper, “The first time Madame went into the village grocery shop at Dudleston Heath, owned by the late Mr John Revel, she had an interpreter with her. But behind the counter was Mr Revel’s daughter, Joyce who could speak French. When Madame realised this, she then came to the shop by herself to place her weekly orders.

“She was slim and petite with blue-black hair and a large bun at the nape of her neck,” said Joyce.

The newspaper also quoted Mr Phillip Edwards who owned the Dudleston Heath Garage.

As the de Gaulle family had no car, whenever they wanted transport, a note was dropped into the garage.

Mr Edwards used to meet the General’s train at Shrewsbury station when he came home at weekends. He recalled that on one occasion, after a heavy snowfall, the car became stuck and he had to dig it out.

The de Gaulle’s stayed at Gadlas until late 1941, before moving to live in Hertfordshire, less than 30 miles from London. The bombings on London had subsided and it meant the General no longer faced a train journey of more than four hours when he wanted to see his family.

After studying the French leader’s life, Stefen Dicks believes the General has often been misrepresented.

“I do my small bit in setting the story right and educating whoever wishes to listen about who Charles de Gaulle was and how he really came to be in England, his relationship with Churchill, his generals and the Americans.

“When I portray the great man I usually get one of two reactions: either someone quotes from the television comedy ‘Allo Allo’s officer Crabtree or there is genuine interest. When I’ve met French people on holiday, they make a bee-line for me and instantly think I’m a native French speaker.

Mr Dicks will give a short talk about de Gaulle at Ellesmere Town Hall on the morning of June 28, after a flag-raising ceremony and two minutes’ silence at 10 a.m to mark Armed Forces Day.

Afterwards he will take a walk-about greeting people in the town centre. Other activities during the day will include a1940s-themed afternoon concert at the town hall, which is sold out, and musical performances in the town centre by an army string quartet and Ellesmere primary school pupils singing wartime songs. Military vehicles will be on show in the square at Ellesmere Wharf and display boards at the library will feature the wartime memories of local people.

The events have been organised by the Ellesmere and District branch of the Royal British Legion in partnership with the town council, other local organisations and volunteers.

Legion branch chairman Bob McBride said: We’re looking forward to welcoming Stefen as General de Gaulle, and even though all tickets for our afternoon concert have been sold, we hope that residents and visitors will enjoy the other activities that we’ve organised. It’s an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the sacrifices that were made during the 2nd World war and to celebrate the peace and freedom that we’ve enjoyed since.”