Oral d’anglais

You’re a guide at the Shot at Dawn Memorial in Alrewas, UK. You’re talking a group of people there. Present the case of a particular soldier.

Xavier est la statue du Shot at Dawn Memorial : yeux bandés et mains dans le dos.
Mélanie est la guide, elle présente la statue.
Xavier est immobile mais des qu’il veut rajouter des informations supplémentaires, le temps s’arrête, il parle et c’est Mélanie qui devient la statue.

- Hello and welcome at the shot at dawn memorial in Alrewas. It’s one place where we can see rows of crosses of the 306 soldiers who were executed in the World War One. You can see that these crosses are arranged in arcs of circle and that in the middle, there is a statue witch represents a soldier. This statue is modelled on the Private Herbert Burden who was court-martialled for desertion.

- In fact, my name is Herbert Burden. I was enlisted at the age of 16. I lied on my age to serve my country. So, I could join the Northnumberland Fusiliers and fight in the War. I was executed for desertion because I was leaving his past to comfort a recently bereaved friend after having seen many other friends killed at the Battle oh Bellworde Ridge.

- He was executed by the firing squad on the 21 July 1915 at Dikkebus.

- And yes, I had just 17 years old, so I still too young to even officially be in his regiment. Dikkebus is a section of the Belgian city of Ypres.

- As you know, in 2006, the British government decided to pardon the soldiers executed between 1914 and 1918, 90 years after. This memorial is a memorial to soldiers shot by their own side during the world war one. They must have realized that these soldiers had risked their life because they were volunteers, they can be injured or shouted.

- And most part of us had left their home while they had families’ problems. A lot of the deserters tried to run away to return with their families.

- Moreover a lot of them were shell-shocked