TRIBUTE EXHIBITION: "ALL VOLUNTEERS"

A TRIBUTE PAID AT THE TRUE HISTORICAL SITE The inauguration of this commemorative plaque holds major symbolic and historical significance. Indeed, while a "Volunteers' Wharf" (quai des Volontaires) was built in the 1950s in the small harbor as a nod to their memory, it was right here, on the former "Grand Quai" (now Ferry Wharf), that the actual embarkations and disembarkations of troops took place during World War II. Placing this plaque on an original stone from the "Grand Quai" finally marks the exact geographical location of these major events in New Caledonian history. To preserve the authenticity of this vestige, the cutting of the original stone was entrusted to the artisan workshop Pierre & Patrimoine. Engraved on the marble plaque is the following inscription: “On May 5, 1941, the first contingent of volunteers from the Pacific Battalion embarked here aboard the ship Zelandia, answering General de Gaulle’s call to defend a Free France. On May 21, 1946, the ship Sagittaire brought the heroes of the Liberation back to this very same place.” THE “TOUS VOLONTAIRES” EXHIBITION ON THE CITY HALL GATES Echoing this inauguration, the city of Nouméa honors the diversity of this commitment through a photographic exhibition featuring over 60 large-format panels. These photographs, often captured in the moment, are not merely historical documents; they are a tribute to the women and men who chose to serve a cause they believed to be right and to stand up for freedom.