Outside a foundry in a village about 40 miles west of Paris, finishing touches are being applied to a bronze statue of Winston Churchill, to be unveiled in the French capital in ceremonies attended by Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I.
Created by the French sculptor Jean Cardot and financed by private and public contributions, the 101/2-foot, 5,000-pound statue depicts Churchill, Britain's World War II leader, in his air marshal's uniform, a walking stick in his left hand, as he appeared on Nov. 11, 1944, when he strode with Charles de Gaulle down the Champs-Ely-sees three months after the liberation of Paris.Its pedestal inscribed with the words "We shall never surrender," the statue will stand outside the Petit Palais, at Avenue Winston Churchill.
- By Lawrence Van Gelder