Page 15 - The Cormorant Issue 24 Crest Publications

Remembering the Battle of Austerlitz
Maj Fiona Burlot and Maj Guillaume Leuenberger
PAGE 13
THE 2ND DECEMBER IS a milestone in every French army officer’s calendar. Every year, they celebrate Napoleon’s victory during the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, and pay tribute to the first officers who graduated from the Military Academy of Saint- Cyr and were killed in action.
Therefore for more than 200 years, every 2nd December, officers from Saint-Cyr gather wherever they are and contemplate the sunrise – just as Napoleon did on this morning of 2nd December 1805.
This year, thanks to the end of the November lockdown, Maj Burlot and Maj Leuenberger had the opportunity
to invite some of their British and international friends to share a short walk to the top of White Horse Hill. After an early gathering, they reached the highest point of Oxfordshire. They had a toast to celebrate not only the Emperor’s memory but also the remembrance
of all the soldiers who died that day on the battlefield; and, above all, the long-lasting friendship between our countries.