A tribute to be held at the Cemetery of the Parish of Barão de São Miguel (Vila do Bispo), on April 9th, at 11:00 am, celebrates the 97th anniversary of the Battle of La Lys, in France, during World War I.
In this battle, the forces of the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps were devastated, despite having managed to protect the allies.
They suffered very heavy casualties: around 1300 dead, 4600 wounded, 2000 missing and 7000 prisoners.
Two of the casualties were soldiers from Vila do Bispo, in the town of Burgau: Carlos Sequeira (natural) and José Joaquim Abelum (resident), both soldiers from the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Portuguese Army. The first disappeared on the day of the battle, the other was taken prisoner of war, dying three days later.
These two soldiers, as well as all the others who gave their lives in the service of Portugal, natives or in transit through the county (two of them British soldiers, five others having died in African lands) will be remembered in the tribute on the 9th of April .
Within this evocation, but on the 11th (Saturday), at 15 pm, the lecture “Some Curiosities in Portuguese Naval History” will take place at the Interpretation Center of Vila do Bispo, by the municipal technician Artur de Jesus.
The tribute is organized by the Municipality of Vila do Bispo and has the support of the Parish Council of Barão de São Miguel, the Association of Ex-Combatants of the Municipality of Vila do Bispo and the Parish of Barão de São Miguel, joining , in this way, to the national tribute that takes place annually in our country, known as “Combatant's Day”.
The initiatives are open to all interested parties. “Remembering the protagonists and the ephemeris of our history are the best way to preserve it”, stresses the municipality.
The Battle of La Lys was fought in France between Allied forces and the German Empire in 1918, during the course of World War I. Portugal had entered the conflict two years before, alongside England and France. On April 9, 1918, the German Army violently attacked the Portuguese positions, causing heavy casualties.
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