Photos above: Moers 2019, Krefeld 2020, Sumène 2021, Sumène 2022, Duisburg 2023
as part of the event:
Searching for traces on Lohmannsheide and the Rheinpreußen slag heap
Guided tour on the day of the open monument
07.09.2024, 4 pm 30
Meeting point: Lohmannsheide cemetery, Jakob-Schroer-Straße 26, 47443 Moers
A walk in the footsteps of industry and mining during the Second World War: At Lohmannsheide cemetery, we find war graves of people who had to perform forced labour during the Second World War. What were these people's experiences and how do we remember them today?
The Frenchman Felix Demond was one of them. You will see the short film ‘FELIX DEMOND - Gefangen in Moers’ (FELIX DEMOND - Trapped in Moers) by Annelie Klother and Walter Kropp. Felix Demond stayed in Germany after his time as a prisoner of war and started a family in Moers.
His two children Reiner Demond and Marie-Luise Demond-Victor and the authors of the film will be present at the screening.
After a walk to the ‘Geleucht’ on the Rheinpreussen spoil tip (the path is not barrier-free), you can visit the memorial from the inside. A shuttle will take you back to the car park.
Organiser:
German War Graves Commission
Free admission, registration required:
rg-rheinland@volksbund.de or tel. 0221/2573295
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Event at the Duisburg City Archive on 3 May 2023 very successful:
"Franzosenkind" / "Enfants de boche".
Christine Schneider, Reiner and Marie-Luise Demond relate
The memorial in the Duisburg City Archives was packed: Christine Schneider from France and Reiner and Marie-Luise Demond from Moers talked about their fathers: Werner Schneider was a prisoner of war in the French Alps, Felix Demond did forced labour on a farm in Moers. Both stayed in the former enemy territory after the war and dared to start a family.
We moderated and translated: Reiner Demond from Moers told about his French father's life in France and his war captivity on a Moers farm. Christine Schneider from France described the suffering of her German father at the end of the war in overcrowded prison camps and while clearing mines in France after the war. The audience was particularly touched when Christine Schneider and Marie-Luise Demond took turns recounting similar childhood experiences as an "enfant de boche" or "French child": Discrimination, the effort to fit in, a split identity. But all three speakers were able to turn this around positively: they see themselves as pioneers of Franco-German friendship and early Europeans.
The event had resulted from our film work: After our film "Gefangen und Dann" (Captured and Then) about French prisoners of war, we got in touch with the Frenchwoman Christine Schneider. She told us similar things as the Demond siblings, whom we had interviewed for our short film about their father Felix Demond (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWSWPpWSLZY). Felix was a prisoner of war in Moers and started a family in Germany. We had the idea of an event with Christine and Reiner and Marie-Luise Demond. Et voilà: the City Archives and the Franco-German Society showed interest. The series of events developed: "Franco-German children after 1945 as a result of war and occupation".
It was only a few years ago that Christine, Rainer and Marie-Luise wrote books about the history of their fathers.
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Event in France in september 2022:
German and french descendants of resistance fighters meet
With our film "Go to Germany? No way! Four South Frenchmen in Resistance against National Socialism“, we were able to initiate an event in the South of France:
On September 11 at 3 pm in the Salle Ferrier in Sumene ( Gard) :
Christa Bröcher and Klara Tuchscherer ("Children of the Resistance")will talk about the resistance of their parents against National Socialism.
Descendants of French resistance fighters are invited to the exchange.
The event is organized by the historical association "Allons Enfants" and the Mairie of Sumène.
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November 2021: Back from France! Two successful events!
In Valleraugue, after the film, people told of their parents' resistance to the German occupation.
In Sumène, almost 130 people filled the auditorium. Here, too, interesting conversations and new contacts with descendants of people from the local resistance took place after the film screening, especially during the convivial conclusion at the buffet, donated by the association Allons Enfants.
The local press also accompanied the screenings:
MIDI LIBRE 20.10.2021
Sumène - A documentary about four Cèvennes maquisards
MIDI LIBRE 21.10.2021
The screening of the film about the four maquisards ... was very well received
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A successful open-air event in Krefeld (August 2020)!
The KULTURFABRIK HEEDER was the perfect place for the premiere of "BLOSS NICHT NACH DEUTSCHLAND!" during Corona.
After a short preliminary talk, the four short films captivated the audience. Afterwards, the authors Annelie Klother and Walter Kropp were still available for questions. The weather played along and a stimulating film evening came to an end around midnight.
