FRENCH CENTENARY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 June 1942, Page 4

FRENCH CENTENARY

OBSERVANCE IN BRITAIN. | The French in Britain celebrated a centenary, the founding of the French Benevolent Association in 1842, and to commemorate the event held a charity bazaar in London at Claridge’s Hotel on March 6 and 7. The charity was founded by the dashing Count d’Orsay, who was pained to see some of his countrymen begging in the streets of London, countrymen who indeed were worthy of a belter .fate, for many of them were ' old soldiers of Napoleon’s armies. . These -men who had fought on the battlefields of -Europe from Moscow ' to Madrid were turbulent spirits for ■, the most part and had been obliged to ' leave France after the revolution of J 1830. ' The names of many of them and of ’ other pool’ French people who found . themselves in exile in London a cen- 1 tury ago appear on the registers, which * have been carefully preserved. A little 1 seems to have gone a long way in those days, for some' received a shill- , ing, even sixpence, a week, plus a quantity of -bread. I Many ■ gifts were received from j. British friends of France for the , bazaar, which was under the patronage of General de Gaulle and Lord Bessborough. 1