Pictured: The French Navy Vessel Auguste Bénébig (Supplied Image)
On Thursday March 7th, a French navy vessel based in New Caledonia, the patrol Auguste Bénébig, anchored at Yule Island in Central Province to carry out a memorial action through the cleaning and restoration of the grave of Lieutenant Léon BOURJADE, a French flying ace in the First World War who died in 1924 on the island where he later became a missionary. Famous for his “acrobatic” landings, his name is still associated with aviation through the expression “landing like Bourjade”.
A ceremony was held in the presence Central Province Governor, Rufina Peter, French Ambassador Guillaume Lemoine, European Union Ambassador Jacques Fradin, the dignitaries of the island and their community leaders, a crew of the Navy Ship, some representatives of PNGDF and some French nationals. The island’s residents also turned out to attend the event.
It was not the first time that French officials and militaries paid tribute to the Lieutenant on Yule Island, many military vessels used to stop over there in the past. However, over the past decades, the tradition was lost.
This year, the 100th year of his death on Yule Island, was a right timing to revive it. The officers and sailors of the “Auguste Bénébig” were very touched by the warm welcome they received and are proud to have been able to perpetuate this tradition of the French Navy. The boat is now heading to Port Moresby, where it will do a stopover during 2 days.
This ceremony was held only a few days after the first official visit of General Yann LATIL, Commander of the French Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC), to Papua New Guinea. He made a 3-days official visit to Port Moresby at the end of February, where he met officials from Department of Defence and PNGDF to sign a 2024-2025 cooperation plan.
