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Winston Churchill Avenue is in Paris off the Champs-Elysees on the Left bank and runs between the Grand and Petit Palaces. The street, of course, is named for Sir Winston Churchill, Britain's Prime Minister during World War II. There's a statue of France's leader, General Charles De Gaulle at the north end of the avenue and one of Winston Churchill at the other. The Churchill statue is modeled from a photo of Churchill marching with De Gaulle down the Champs Elysees on November 11, 1944. A ceremony was held on the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice which ended World War 1. Queen Elizabeth II joined France's president Jacques Chirac to unveil the statue of her first Prime Minister who led Britain during World War II. The Queen, speaking in French said, "I am confident that Winston Churchill, my first Prime Minister, who guided me with such wisdom and humor through the early years of my reign, would have commended to me the special recognition of the 80th anniversary of the Armistice". Brian Reeve, an expatriate businessman, remembers suffering through the London Blitz as a child. He said," Churchill was a man on the move, who wouldn't stop". He said Churchill would walk through the streets just encouraging people, and this, "Was very, very, impressive even to the kids". The 10 ft. bronze statue by French sculptor, Jean Cardot, weighs two-and-a half tonnes. The plinth bears the immortal words, "We shall never surrender". Churchill is one of a very few foreigners to have his likeness displayed in Paris. We need more stalwart souls like Churchill today. His brand of fearless optimism and rock solid resolution are in short supply among modern politicians.
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