Double of Charles de Gaulle will join Ellesmere Armed Force Day
The double of the French wartime leader Charles de Gaulle will be part of Armed Forces Day celebrations in Ellesmere - the town where he stayed during the early years of the Second World War.
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The visit will form part of a day of activities to commemorate and celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Second World War, which ended with the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945 and the defeat of Japanese forces three months later.
At 6ft 5in, de Gaulle was a towering figure in more ways than one.
After escaping to Britain when the Germans invaded France in 1940, he formed what he called the French government in exile and became leader of the Free French forces.
Later, he served as president of France from 1959 to 1969.
For his ‘lookalike', Stefen Dicks, from Lincolnshire, portraying the General is described as “an honour".
He’s a familiar face at 1940s commemoration events with the ‘doubles’ of other wartime figures, including Winston Churchill and General Montgomery.
Now, he is looking forward to visiting Ellesmere, a short distance from Gadlas Hall, the period country house at Criftins, which de Gaulle and his family rented during the early years of the war.
It is often suggested that the General was sent there because of his sometimes fractious relationship with Winston Churchill, who apparently wanted him out of the way.
