It is a function of social class and occupation as to why a man's capacity to stand and deliver, as it were, is reduced as youthful Romeos are dragged by Time's relentless claws of age into the abyss of the yawning grave.

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The man who symbolized France's resistance to Nazi occupation, he led the French government in exile during World War II and headed the first government after the Liberation.

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Meanwhile a 91-year-old Jersey man who risked his life to help others during the occupation is to be honoured at the service later.

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His debut novel, The Gift of Rain - also about the Japanese occupation of Malaya - was longlisted for the Man Booker in 2007.

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