Commemoration in Darney

A commemoration ceremony went ahead at the Military Memorial in France's Darney on 24 June to mark the 99th anniversary of the 21st Czechoslovak Rifle Regiment swearing the Oath of Allegiance and the then President of the French Republic Raimond Poincaré handing over the Regimental Colours to the Regiment. In parallel with this act of commemoration, France was the first country in the world to recognise the Czech and Slovak peoples' right of self-determination and their entitlement to an independent state. Moreover, the assembled units formed the basis for establishing the Czechoslovak Army. The commemoration ceremony was organised by the Czech Republic, which has since 2002 observed Czech Armed Forces Day on this day. Traditionally, the event in Darney has also incorporated a short visit by the delegations to the Memorials of Czechoslovak Presidents T. G. Masaryk and Václav Havel.

The year 2018 will see a commemoration ceremony in Darney to mark the centenary of the swearing of the Oath of Allegiance by the Regiment. This will be conceived as a high visibility commemorative event in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in France, and Heads of the French, Czech and Slovak Republics are expected to attend.