Article published in La Presse de la Manche – 30/01/2025
UNLOADING. The project was presented a few days ago to the municipal council of Sainte-Mère-Église.
The municipal council of the new commune of Sainte-Mère-Eglise met on January 23 in the presence of mayor Alain Holley. Dominique Imber and Maya Duburch unveiled plans to build a new World War II museum in Ravenoville. The museum will be close to the site of the Foucarville prison camp. The project has been estimated at around €10 million and is due to open in spring 2028. With the help of a slide show, Maya Duburch explained to the town council that a foundation had been created in 2021, the WJ Kennedy Foundation. It was named after Colonel Warren J. Kennedy, commander of two German prison camps in France during the Second World War, including Foucarville, which held 60,000 prisoners between 1944 and 1947, making it the largest German prison camp in France.
What might we find in this museum? The Foundation is the owner of a collection of archives and letters belonging to Colonel Kennedy, and its aim is to preserve and promote this unique documentary heritage. Much of this material comes from the high-ranking officer’s daughter, Alice, who found a lot of information in a trunk in the family attic. The Sainte-Mère-Eglise municipal councillors were shown several slides illustrating the project. It includes architectural drawings and plans for the buildings, a parking lot and memorial garden, as well as sketches, archives and other material that will be housed in the museum.
“We’ve been working on this project for four years,” revealed Maya Duburch, who explained that the association has been able to meet with officials from the Département and the Région, including its president Hervé Morin, who is interested in the project. The museum will be built in Ravenoville, 2 kilometers from the camp site, on a plot of land next to the church, at the corner of the D15 and D14 roads. It will stand opposite another World War II site, the ferme de Marmion. The project will be financed 80% by public funds and 20% by sponsorship. The association has already received 1 million euros from the United States. The association hopes to welcome 70,000 visitors a year.
Madeleine HILL
