Jadotville plaque to be unveiled on Saturday
A ceremony to mark Jadotville Day will be held in Athlone on Saturday afternoon and a plaque to honour the members of A Company 35th Infantry Battalion will be unveiled in John Count McCormack Square.
October 25 has been adopted as Jadotville Day by the Veterans of the Defence Forces.
This is the date that the men of A’ Coy 35th Infantry Battalion and of the Siege of Jadotville were released from captivity. This day will be observed annually alternating between Dublin and Athlone. This year, Jadotville Day will be celebrated on Saturday, October 21, in the Civic Square, Athlone, at 3.30pm with the unveiling of a plaque by the Westmeath County Council and a wreath laying ceremony.
Defence Force Veterans from all services will parade in honour of the men of ‘A’ Coy 35th Infantry Battalion and their deceased comrades and pay tribute to their bravery. These are the men who unselfishly, left their families in the pursuit of peace for those whose freedom was threatened in the Congo, who travelled as ambassadors of the Defence Forces and of Ireland on a Peacekeeping mission which turned into a different affair when tasked with duties in Jadotville.