On Thursday 15 June, H.E. Mr. John Marshall, British Ambassador to the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, introduced his exhibition #LuxUKLinks at St George’s International School, Luxembourg in a speech to all Year 9 History students.
The exhibition, which will be on display until Saturday 17 June, consists of a series of banners portraying remarkable links between Luxembourg and United Kingdom. From its humble beginnings as a social media project, comprising of a series of tweets using the hashtag #LuxUKLinks, it has now developed to become a fascinating exhibition highlighting the extraordinary links between Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.
Many of the connections are historical, however there are also economic, cultural and community elements ranging from the Royal Family (Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is Queen Elizabeth’s 3rd cousin once removed) to Harry Potter (according to Charlie Weasley in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ “Scotland were slaughtered by Luxembourg” in the Quidditch World Cup).
H.E. Mr. John Marshall picked out specific parts of the exhibition that particularly sparked his interest. In 1940 Grand Duchesse Charlotte give her first broadcast on the BBC appealing to all the people of Luxembourg to not give up hope and reassured them that they would be liberated from Nazi oppression. They also learned that during WWII Luxembourg nationals provided Britain with intelligence on the German V1/V2 rocket programme at Peenemunde.
Another remarkable fact is that 26 RAF Airmen killed in action are buried at 8 sites around Luxembourg, their graves carefully tended by local communes and remembered during ceremonies. Over centuries, significant events and extraordinary individuals have brought Luxembourg and the United Kingdom together.
St George’s International School is the first school to host the exhibition which will subsequently be exhibited at a number of municipalities across the Grand Duchy.
Photo (L-R): Ambassador John Marshall; Fr Christian Barkei, Director, St George's
