1914 18 - they came from across the globe

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http://wartimehistory.pas-de-calais.com
Pas-de-Calais
1914 - 1918
They came from across the globe
Pas-de-Calais

2
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A16, A25 and A26 motorways
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By train :
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By plane :
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Editorial
During the Great War, the Pas-
de-Calais was at the heart of
a world conflict: the British,
Belgians, Canadians, New
Zealanders, Poles, Czechs,
Portuguese, Native Americans,
Senegalese, Indians and Chinese
were just some of the nationa-
lities who fought in our region.
Thousands of letters written by
young soldiers left the Pas-de-
Calais département daily to make
their way to countries dotted
around the world.
Bearing witness to these bloody
battles, the largest cemetery
in France is situated in Notre-
Dame-de-Lorette, in the com-
mune of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire,
while the largest British military
cemetery in France is found
in Etaples. The Musée Jean et
Denise Letaille has recently
been opened in Bullecourt in
tribute to the sacrifice made by
the Diggers, a nickname given to
the brave Australian soldiers –
10,771 in total – who were killed
on the battlefields in this area.
However, looking beyond this
tragic conflict, it should be
emphasised that the Pas-de-
Calais made courageous efforts
to get back on its feet in the post-
war period – with the help of
the French nation, more than a
hundred towns and villages were
rebuilt.
Today, with an emphasis on
sustainable development, the
Conseil Général (county council)
of the Pas-de-Calais départe-
ment is looking to improve these
memorial sites, so that as many
visitors as possible can visit them
and learn more about this period
of history. It is with this in mind
that the council is taking part
in the Euro-regional “Memories
of the Great War” programme
along with the Belgian province
of West Flanders and the French
départements of Nord, Aisne
and Somme, as well as being
involved in the promotion of the
Remembrance Trails started by
the Nord-Pas de Calais regional
council.
On a day-to-day basis, it seems
important to me not to restrict
ourselves to simply evoking the
facts. We must also, and above
all, emphasise the barbarity of
this conflict so that we give our
young people an overwhelming
desire to maintain and promote
peace.
• P. 3 - International cemeteries and memorials
• P. 4 - The Great War in the Pas-de-Calais
• P. 5 - Morrocans, Algerians, Tunisians... From Africa to the Artois…
• P. 6 - French
• P. 7 - Émilienne Moreau from Loos-en-Gohelle
• P. 8 - English
• P. 9 - A mutiny beneath a veil of silence
• P. 10 - Scots, Irish
• P. 11 - Americans
• P. 12 - Canadians
• P. 13 - The 22d Battalion «indefatigable heroism»
• P. 14-15 - Map of Pas-de-Calais
• P. 16 - Native Americans
• P. 17 - Indians
• P. 18 - Australians
• P. 19 - New Zealanders
• P. 20 - Japanese
• P. 21 - South Africans ; Newfoundlanders ; For Belgian refugees in France
• P. 22 - Portuguese
• P. 23 - Poles and Czechs
• P. 24 - Germans
• P. 25 - The German newspaper in Bapaume
• P. 26 - Chinese
Contents

3
W i m e r e u x
C o m m u n a l
Cemetery
6 Rue Jean
Moulin, 62930
Wimereux
Amongst the
soldiers buried
in Wimereux
is Canadian
L i e u t e n a n t
Colonel John
M c C r a e t h e
author of “In
Flanders Fields” (1915) on whose Memorial
Seat you can read an excerpt of the most famous
poem about World War I:
“We are the dead. Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie
In Flanders fields”
The poppy and the cornflower
The poppy mentioned in the poem “In
Flanders Fields” by John McCrae has symbo-
lised the remembrance of fallen soldiers from
the Commonwealth since the First World
War.
Since 1916, the cornflower (“bleuet” in
French) has been the symbol in France of
solidarity with war victims and veteran sol-
diers. The flower’s colour recalls the blue
of the French soldiers’ uniform worn at this
time.
St-Mary’s advanced Dressing Station
Cemetery
In Haisnes, near Lens
At this Cemetery are almost 2,000 graves of sol-
diers who perished during the Battle of Loos, of
which over two-thirds are of “unknown soldiers”.
Among the graves is that of Rudyard Kipling’s
son John who died in the battle at the age of 18.
The father spent his final years until his death
in 1936 searching for the grave of his only son.
John’s grave was identified in 1991, but doubts
remain.
The underground passages of Arras
Beneath the streets of Arras lie impressive chalk
quarries which have been hollowed out since the
Middle Ages.
Arras was destroyed in 1914. In November
1916, the Allies began their preparations for
a diversionary attack on the Artois Front prior
to their assault on the Chemin des Dames. The
British had the ingenious idea of connecting the
quarries so that Allied soldiers could emerge
from this underground network and push back
the front line.
At 5.30am on 9 April 1917, after a huge explo-
sion, 24,000 men suddenly appeared from
beneath the ground and took the front German
lines by surprise. At the same time, the Canadians
launched an attack on Vimy Ridge.
The Wellington Quarry (Carrière Wellington), a
memorial to the Battle of Arras, allows visitors
to learn more about this major event of the First
World War.
Rue Delétoille 62000 Arras
Tel : 00 33 (0)3 21 51 26 95
www.explorearras.com
Did you know ?
International cemeteries and memorials
T
here are more than 600 military
cemeteries in the Pas-de-Calais
region. The sites bear continuing
witness to the tragic events in the
region during the First and Second
World Wars. We cannot list here all
the cemeteries in the Pas-de-Calais,
so to indicate the origin of all the
soldiers who died on our lands, we
have decided to list one cemetery per
nation.
France
National necropolis of Notre-Dame-
de-Lorette
Ablain-Saint-Nazaire
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette is the largest
French military cemetery. Visit the
Roman-Byzantine Chapel and the Lantern
Tower as well as the Ring of Remembrance,
the International Memorial inaugurated on
11 November 2014. This ellipse-shaped
monument brings together 580,000 names
presented in alphabetical order without
distinction by nationality.
Commonwealth Forces
Etaples Military Cemetery
Etaples - RD 940
The Imperial British Army built hospitals to
care for the wounded from the front around
the military camp at Etaples. 10,771of
the wounded died of their injuries and
are buried here, in the largest cemetery
for Commonwealth Forces in France with
nearly 11,500 graves.
Germany
La Maison Blanche German military
cemetery at Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Neuville-Saint-Vaast – D937 road (10
min drive)
The largest German war cemetery in France,
it is the final resting place for 44,833
German soldiers of which 8,040 were never
identified and buried in a common grave.
The way the site is constructed reflects the
important place that nature has in German
mythology.
Australia
Australian memorial at Bullecourt
BulLecourt – rue de Douai
By 10 April 1917, when the Battle of Arras
had been in progress for one day, Australian
soldiers left to attack the German lines at
Bullecourt. A second offensive
was launched on 3 May. The statue of the
Digger is a tribute to the 10,000 Australian
soldiers who fell during these operations.
New-Zealand
New-Zealand Memorial – Grévillers
British Cemetery
Grévillers – RD 29
This memorial was erected in memory of
the New Zealand soldiers reported mis-
sing during the “100-Day Offensive” in the
summer of 1918, which enabled the Allied
armies to cross the German lines and libe-
rate occupied territory.
South Africa
Warlencourt British Cemetery
On the D929 towards Pozières
Warlencourt -Eaucourt
South-African troops arrived in France in
spring 1916, and took part in a number of
operations during the Battle of the Somme.
In particular, 128 South-African soldiers
lost their lives when taking the Butte of
Warlencourt and Eaucourt l’Abbaye.
Today they rest in the cemetery.
Canada
Canadian National History site at Vimy
Ridge - Vimy
On 9 April 1917, Canadian soldiers,
united for the first time in a single army
corps, took part in the Battle of Arras
and succeeded in taking Vimy Ridge,
strongly defended by the German Army.
The memorial recalls this key episode in
the history of the Canadian Nation, and
pays tribute to the 11,285 Canadian sol-
diers reported missing during the First
World War..
India
Neuve-Chapelle Indian Memorial,
Intersection of the D947 and the
D171
Richebourg l’Avoué
The first Indian troops in the Imperial
British Army arrived in France in
October 1914. They were first stationed
in Flanders and took part in the Battle
of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. This
memorial is to their role in France and
in Belgium
during the Great War.
Portugal
Portuguese Military Cemetery at
Neuve Chapelle
Intersection of the RD 947 and the
RD 171
Richebourg l’Avoué
The new Republic of Portugal showed its
support for France and Great Britain by
sending around 56,000 soldiers to join the
Allied Armies. Stationed in Flanders, the
Portuguese soldiers suffered the full brunt
of the offensive launched by the German
Army in March 1918 in the La Lys valley.
Belgium
Belgian Military Square at the
Communal Cemetery at Calais
Boulevard de l’Egalité - Calais
Belgium was almost entirely occupied by
the German Army in 1914. Only the area
between Ypres and Nieuport remained
free. The Belgian Army was assigned to
defend the front at the Yser, and set up
bases in the Nord - Pas-de-Calais.
China
St. Etienne-au-Mont Communal
Cemetery
St. Etienne-au-Mont Communal
Cemetery – RD 940
From 1916 onwards, the British Army
recruited Chinese peasants for logistical
tasks in its camps in France. At the end of
the fighting, men from the Chinese Labour
Corps were involved in minesweeping the
land and burying soldiers who had died
on the battlefield.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Military Cemetery and
the “Nazdar” Company Memorial
Neuvile Saint-Vaast – D937 towards
Souchez
The memorial pays tribute to Czechoslovak
emigrants in Paris who enlisted in the
Foreign Legion, where they formed the
“Nazdar” Company to uphold the concept
of a Czechoslovakia freed from the domi-
nion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Poland
Polish Memorial
Neuvile Saint -Vaast – RD 937
towards Souchez
In 1914, the German, Austro-Hungarian
and Russian Empires divided Polish ter-
ritory among themselves. When war broke
out, Polish emigrants enlisted alongside
soldiers in the French Army, hoping to
see the rebirth of an independent Poland.
The monument bears the words of these
volunteers: “Za nasza wolnosc i wasza”.
(For our freedom and yours).

4 Text : Christian Defrance
At any given moment, every community
in the Pas-de-Calais had, to a greater or
lesser extent, an involvement in the First
World War. All had seen their youngest
inhabitants head off to war; all had cried
for those who had “died for France”.
After the 90th anniversary of the end of
the Great War, “we are witnessing a
transition from living memory to
history”, explains the director of La
Coupole, a history and remembrance
centre in the Nord-Pas
de Calais region. The
last surviving French
soldiers of the
First World
War (known
as “Poilus”)
have now died and their
voices have been replaced
by photographs and the
official journals of regiments –
a treasure-trove of documents which
has brushed aside the simplistic
idea of a war involving the French,
Germans and British. This war
was a global war and the Pas-de-
Calais represented “a microcosm
of the world at war”, to quote an
expression coined by the historian
Xavier Boniface. A magnifying glass
placed over this microcosm
highlights the role played
by Canadians, Australians,
New Zealanders, Indians, Portuguese,
Americans, South Africans and other
nationalities during the conflict.
The French and British put their
colonies to the severest of tests – in the
trenches and on the battlefields of the
Pas-de-Calais.
«The front developed
gradually »
TheFirstWorldWarinourdépartement
can be divided into three phases. From
late August 1914 to late October
1914, the Pas-de-Calais witnessed a
war of movement: “the great German
army advancing towards Paris”, and
villages providing support for the mix
of French and British troops. “The
front developed gradually”, Yves Le
Maner goes on to add. The last classic
military confrontations took place in
early October (Courcelles-le-Comte,
Saint-Laurent-Blangy, Lorette etc),
and the first battle of Ypres marked a
turning-point – the end of the “Race
to the Sea”.
« 100% British »
With the onset of this “static war” ,
the front line became fixed and barely
moved at all, with the exception of the
Hindenburg retreat. In late 1915-early
1916, the Allies were awaiting a “new
army” in the form of units arriving
from Canada and Australia – fresh
troops which would be plunged into
the bloodbath of the Somme, now that
France “was committing everything
it had to Verdun”.
From 1916 onwards in the Pas-de-
Calais, the front became “100%
British”. April 1917 was to see a
major offensive: victory at Vimy, defeat
in Arras; and in November 1917 in
Cambrai the Germans employed infantry
counter-attacking techniques for the first
time.
Methodical advances
The Russian retreat signalled a return
to a war of movement. March 1918
saw Prussian elite troops go on the
offensive. The Battle of the Lys forced
back the British but saw the French
come into their own: “the hole was
filled in the nick of time”. From
late August 1918 onwards, and with
moral restored, the British attacked
methodically and made significant
advances, most notably at the Second
Battle of Arras, and in the capture of
the Canal du Nord (under construction
since 1913) at the end of September
1918. The Great War had a huge
impact on the Pas-de-Calais which
went to its very core. With men arriving
from around the world, it was now well
and truly part of the 20th century.
I
f you had passed through or flown over the Pas-de-Calais at the end of 1918 when the cannons finally fell
silent, you would have been aware of three distinct areas affected by a conflict which had involved all five
continents. In the area by the front – where 200 communities were affected and which extended for a distance
of 30-40km – nothing remained, particularly around Bapaume. Not a single tree, house or church. In the occupied
(German) zone – the occupation “had been well thought out and methodical”, according to Yves Le Maner
– everyday life and coal-mining were gradually re-establishing themselves. Meanwhile, in the rear zone (the
Boulonnais, Montreuillois, Audomarois and Ternois areas), where millions of troops had passed through, military
headquarters, hospitals and camps had all left their mark on both the land and people’s spirits.
Les Échos du Pas-de-Calais
BP 40139 – 5, place Jean-Jaurès 62190 Lillers - France
Tél. 00333 21 54 35 75 – Fax 00333 21 54 34 89
http://www.echo62.com
email : contact@echo62.com
L’Echo du Pas-de-Calais is a free public newspaper delivered to the inhabitants
of the Pas-de-Calais. The monthly periodical is the voice of the Pas-de-Calais and
deals with a wide variety of subjects including culture and heritage, sports, tourism,
wildlife, economy, arts and crafts, events, agriculture etc.
“They came from across the globe” has been adapted from
an original file created by Les Echos.
Editor : Roland Huguet
Editorial manager : Jean-Yves Vincent
Executive Editor : Philippe Vincent
Managing Editors : Christian Defrance
Features Editor : Marie-Pierre Griffon
Writer/Graphic Designer : Magali Crombez
Photographer : Jérôme Pouille
Sub-Editor : Claude Henneton
In addition to those mentioned elsewhere, the following have contributed
to the production of this publication :
Michel Gravel, Hugues Chevalier, Yves Le Maner,
Robert Wabinski, Alain Jacques, Dominique Faivre,
Brigitte Deligne, Henri Claverie, Yann Hodicq,
Raymond Sulligez, Philippe Égu.
Printed by : Chartrez (62)
The Great War
in the Pas-de-Calais
Hell, chaos and the 20th century
D
uring the years 1914-
18, British, Chinese and
many other nationalities
passed through my maternal
grandmother’s house. From here,
they left for the battlefield and
the nearby Front – and sadly not
all of them returned to collect
their belongings. After the death
of my grandmother in 1943, we
found a collection of objects and
items still waiting to be collected
in one of her rooms! She would
never have dreamed of touching
any of these items. Our family
shared these belongings amongst
ourselves and I still have a small
camp stove from this collection,
although the “English biscuits”
kept in large tins were all eaten
during the Second World War –
we couldn’t leave them for the
Germans. You’ll find a range of
photos, anecdotes and portraits of
these terrible years in this special
edition. This is the story, not of the
battles but of those who
came from all corners of the
globe to fight in the Pas-
de-Calais region.
Their human,
moving accounts
strengthen our desire
for peace at all times.
The country which was
our enemy during that
war and which is now creating a
new Europe alongside France also
experienced horrendous casualties,
many of whom were extremely
young, such as the soldier who was
killed at the age of 14.
It is only right that our
département, to which more
nations sent their soldiers than any
other, should dedicate the
following pages to them.
Roland Huguet,
President of the association
Les Échos du Pas-de-Calais
PhotofondsdocumentaireMichelGravel

5Text : Philippe Vincent-Chaissac
Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians...
F
OR the vast majority of the inhabitants
of the Pas-de-Calais, the name Vimy is
indelibly linked with Canada because
of the battle that took place there in April
1917. The Canadian memorial appears in
every history book and travel guide and is
one of the main monuments in the region.
In fact, Vimy is technically not even part of
France, as the monument officially stands
on Canadian soil.
The Moroccan monument was in fact res-
tored a few years ago (paid for by the King of
Morocco), yet passes (almost) unnoticed. So
why is it here? The reason for its presence is
quite easy to identify: fortified and held by the
Germans since 1914, Vimy Ridge had long
been coveted by France because of its stra-
tegic position, in the same way as the hill of
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.
In 1915, the French and German armies
confronted each other in the Souchez sector,
each embedded in successive lines of trenches.
Despite its weak artillery, France’s continued
aim was to retake Lorette and to break through
the front. On this occasion it set Vimy Ridge
as its objective, even though this seemed
somewhat unrealistic at the time.
On Vimy Ridge
On 9 May, the Moroccan Division went
directly on the attack, and against all the
odds it broke through four successive lines of
German trenches to reach the ridge an hour
and a half later. Even though its losses were
heavy, its success was undeniable, incredible
even. So incredible, in fact, that the reinfor-
cements which should have been following to
clean up the sector, were not there...or even
ready, and were too far away to react quickly.
As a result, it was a question of holding the
position to the death. Pierre Miquel wrote in La
ButteSanglante(TheBloodyHill):“Thetroops
of the Moroccan Division made a mistake
in winning the battle, as it then became a
question of minimising their achievement
[…] given that the resources to back up
what had been achieved were not in place”.
A sacrificed division
The Moroccan Division was then considered
a target for enemy fire… which is another
way of saying that it was sacrificed, hence
the reason for the Moroccan Division’s com-
memoration at the memorial. However, in the
eyes of the sociologist Abdelmoula Souidia
(Memoria Nord association): “this is not true”,
in the sense that it gives the impression that
it honours the memory of Moroccan soldiers
whereas, in fact, there were no Moroccans in
the Moroccan Division.
The Division was given its name because it
had returned from Morocco in August 1914.
Subsequently reorganised, it comprised units
of varying origin. In the case of the assault
on Vimy Ridge, its troops were made up of
Algerian soldiers, recruited in Algeria or
Tunisia, as well as legionnaires, and forei-
gners of every description ranging from
American, Polish and Czechs to Swedish and
Swiss volunteers, including the writer Blaise
Cendrars.
Where are the Moroccans?
Given the circumstances it’s not easy to
work this out. What is clear, however, is
that Moroccan soldiers were engaged on the
Artois front. The presence of the 1st Moroccan
Infantry regiment is highlighted in May-June
1915 around Angres and Aix-Noulette. We
also know that infantry regiments of Moroccan
Spahis were in action in Arras and Hesdin.
Abdelmoula Souidia himself talks of the
caïdmia (lieutenant) Brick Ben Kaddour, one
of the few Moroccan officers who took part
in the defence of Béthune and was killed
at Radinghem-en-Weppes, and of one of
his friends, Abbas Ben M’Hamed, killed at
Richebourg in 1914. However, without an
in-depth knowledge of regimental history, it
is particularly difficult trying to find detailed
information as there are no Moroccan, Algerian
or Tunisian cemeteries – only the Muslim
cemeteries in Lorette, and in La Targette,
where Muslim tombs from 1939-45 are more
numerous than those from 1914-18. Hence
the question: what happened to the Moroccans
who died? The answer can be found in various
cemeteries of the region, and is directly
linked to the composition of the different army
corps. It’s worth noting that more than 30,000
Moroccan soldiers (37,000 according to Pierre
Miquel) left their home country to fight along-
side French troops.
W
orking with the Memoria
Nord association, sociologist
Abdelmoula Souidia regularly
brings school pupils to the region’s military
cemeteries and memorials. “These places
are full of meaning” he says. The history
which these pupils learn in class is also
their history. “They are a part of the
history of France”.
These visits take them away from the world of
the working class, which has been their only
reference point until now. “Their parents came
here to work, and now all of a sudden they are
heroes”, continues Abdelmoula Souidia, whose
father was a miner at Évin-Malmaison, a job
which commands a huge amount of respect.
The sociologist explains that Morocco was
a protectorate (unlike Algeria, which was a
colony) and that Moroccans came to fight in
France because their king asked them to do
so. There was a huge response to his appeal.
Moroccans came to France with their horses;
they had long hair and their traditional djel-
laba robes flapped in the wind as they galloped
across the fields. They were disliked by the
Germans, who nicknamed them the Swallows
of Death.
Today,asignificantnumberofMoroccanshave
ancestors who fought in France. This is a part
of their history. Abdelmoula Souidia explains
that he is often questioned by Moroccans
who want to know where a particular tomb is
situated. Not an easy question to answer, as
there are so many unknown soldiers in the
tombs. And even once they’ve located the
tomb, they are not always likely to obtain a visa
to visit France. Much remains to be done for
attitudes to change in this respect.
Formalities can also take a long time to be
completed. This was certainly true in the case
of Brick Ben Kaddour, a Muslim who had
been erroneously buried under a Latin cross.
Captain Josse, a former Spahi, discovered the
mistake and became involved in lengthy nego-
tiations in order for the soldier to be laid to rest
under a Muslim stele. It’s clear that conside-
rable work still needs to be done to comme-
morate sacrifices made. Mr Souidia, who is
looking for financial backing for a book on the
subject, reminds us that “Moroccans helped to
build the French Empire”. In other words, they
contributed to the country’s greatness. After
the end of the war, these men returned to their
own country with a completely different image
of France.
As far as the Algerians are concerned, the
historian Carl Pépin explains that the First
World War helped to build their awareness of
themselves as a people who aspired to inde-
pendence.
These feelings were reinforced by the Second
World War. For the Moroccans, who had a
much older history as a nation, such reinfor-
cement was not needed. Nonetheless, this war
undoubtedlystrengthenedtheirdesiretoreject
their status of a protectorate, which was dis-
liked by many.
For French citizens of Moroccan origin, considerable work
still needs to be done to commemorate sacrifices made.
A ceremony in the Muslim section of Lorette cemetery.
PhotoMemoriaNord
Photo:AlainJacquesdocumentarycollection
They are part of the history of France
Thanks to their glorious ancestors who came to fight alongside French soldiers
They are part of the history of France
The “café” in a Moroccan camp near Aix-Noulette
The memorial to the Moroccan Division
Photo:AlainJacvquesdocumentarycollection
Photo:PhilippeVincent-Chaissac
From Africa to the Artois,
Algerian infantrymen, in Carency

6 Text : Marie-Pierre Griffon
Numerous accounts tell of acts of both remarkable
and more modest female bravery. “Women made the
Resistance what it was”, explains 88-year-old Henri
Claverie, a historian from Hénin-Beaumont. “They
broke through enemy lines to pass on messages; they
lived in caves, only venturing out to visit the supply
depot in order to feed their
families; and for hours on end
they would grind flour in coffee
mills.” Simone Caffard, whose
story was uncovered by Raymond
Sulliger from the Cercle
Historique de Fouquières-lès-
Lens, was in her own way a young
heroine. A gifted teacher who
was passionate about education,
she gave lessons to children in
the most trying circumstances
and worked tirelessly to ensure
that they passed their “certificat
d’études” exams in 1916. Sadly,
she fell ill the following year and
died. It’s a lesser-known fact that
women were victims of abuse
and violence (which included
rape, forced labour, deportation
and savage repression) if they were found to be part
of the Resistance movement. The atrocities to which
they were subjected have not been recorded by history,
largely because the cruelties of the Second World War
have taken their place in the collective memory.
As for children, they, too, played their part as best they
could. Raymond Sulliger has discovered anecdotes in
the work by Alfred Crépe, in particular those relating
to the children of Fouquières, who would sing under
the noses of German soldiers returning
from Lorette:
“Té peux chirer tes guêtes
Té n’mont’ras pas Lorette
Té peux chirer tes bottes
Té n’mont’ras pas la côte!”
(“You can polish your leggings
You’ll never take Lorette
You can polish your boots
You’ll never take the hill!”)
He also recounts how the most daring
childrenwouldplacebricksinGerman
cooking pots when the cook’s back was
turned or do their best to stand up to
the enemy in their own way. As the
Kommandantur had given an order
that all men and young people should
greet officers by removing their cap,
some walked around bare-headed,
which was far from common at the time!
Emancipation
Few studies have been carried
out on the lot of civilians in
the occupied zone, although
numerous eye-witness accounts
tell of difficult living conditions.
Requisitions, collective
atrocities, reprisals and forced
labour became increasingly
common. From 1914 onwards,
civilians were a workforce
which could be exploited for
“the war effort”, in particular
for the reconstruction of
infrastructure destroyed as a
result of the fighting. When
they resisted, civilians (and
occasionally even women and
young girls) were deported to
forced labour camps, where they
formed ZABs (“Zivilarbeiter-
Bataillone” or battalions of
civil workers) and wore a
distinctive emblem: a red
armband (brassard rouge), which
some wore until 1918. Living
conditions for these “Brassards
Rouges” was similar to those of
prisoners in deportation camps.
A rebellious citizen
Georges Cambier refused to
submit himself to the will of
the Germans and was punished
as a result. Along with five
hundred or so other civilians,
he was taken - “like a convict”
in the words of
his granddaughter – to where
labour was needed, mainly in
the area around Vadancourt
(in the Aisne département).
At the railway station he
witnessed civilians being hit
with the butt of rifles, bitten by
dogs and summarily executed.
Upon arrival, hunger and ill-
treatment were the norm. “We
washed using the morning
coffee, and once that was
done we had to drink it as
we were so short of water”.
Those who still refused to work
were locked in flooded cellars
and sheds full of foul-smelling
manure. Every three days they
received a litre of soup without
bread. After three weeks
many broke down…
Others were enclosed in crates
and some went mad. The
hospital was, unsurprisingly,
like an abattoir and the dead
could be counted in their
hundreds.
Censure
Personal correspondence was
authorised but had to be written
with a pencil to avoid censure.
Miraculously, an injury to his
shoulder enabled Georges to
return home, “but he had to
leave for fear of reprisals
against his family.” He was
finally able to put this hellish
existence behind him in 1917.
In the north, he saw his mother
once again, who was mourning
the death of his father. After
the war he played his part in
the reconstruction of local
mines and put his talents as
a woodworker to good use for
the Compagnie des Mines de
Béthune.
Nowadays, not a single
monument pays homage to the
“Brassards Rouges”. “Their
resistance has been largely
ignored”, regrets Philippe
Égu. “However, they served
their country well!”
The Brassards Rouges, resistors to the occupation.
Photos: Philippe Égu collection
the forgotten men of history
The “Brassards Rouges”:
Photo:PhilippeÉgucollection
Women and children first
Rens. http://pabqt.free.fr/mairie1/vieclav.html
http://fouquiereschf.free.fr/
Simon
e Caffard died in January
1917Photo:CercleHistoriquedeFouquières-lès-Lenscollection
Photo:CercleHistoriquedeFouquières-lès-Lenscollection
FRENCH
H
AVE you heard of the “Brassards Rouges”? Philippe
Égu from Grenay has shown a special interest in the
forgotten ranks of civilian workers who, refusing to
work for the enemy, were deported, mistreated and tortured.
This was the case for his maternal grandfather, Georges
Cambier, a joiner, who was taken away by force at the age of
19, and who survived deprivation and numerous beatings.
Fouquières-lès-Lens. Occupying forces posing with local inhabitants - in this
instance, the Musin family - as they would in a hunting scene.
The “Brassards Rouges”:
the forgotten men of history
It is often said that the First World War played a significant role
in the emancipation of women. However, this is questioned by his-
torians, who claim that the changes which took place at this time
were fairly superficial. If changes did take place, they did not last
long; once the war was over, women soon found themselves back
in the home. Those who gained the most were probably educated
or middle-class women. A “baccalauréat feminin” was introduced
in 1919, followed by the introduction of equal pay for teachers.
All women, however, benefited from the fact that clothes became
simpler, as corsets, cumbersome long dresses and uncomfortable
large hats were all abandoned. This marked the beginning of the
liberalisation of women’s bodies...

7Text : Marie-Pierre Griffon
Émilienne Moreau and her family
left Wingles for Loos-en-Gohelle
in June 1914. Her father, a retired
mine foreman, was appointed the
manager of a small shop on the main
square of this large mining town.
Émilienne, who had just turned
sixteen, was destined for a career
as a teacher. The alarming news of
the final days of July worried her a
little but “a young girl pays little
attention to news relating to foreign
politics; and to tell the truth I had
little idea about the Serbia that was
being talked about...”, she wrote
in “Mes mémoires, 1914-1915”,
which appeared in the magazine Le
Miroir. When, at 4pm on 1 August,
the siren brought miners up from
the pit and the alarm sounded in
local mining villages, the reality
soon hit home. After mobilisation
and the departure of her brother for
the front, days of uncertainty were
followed by days of anguish, and
after the long processions of eva-
cuated civilians came the arrival
of the German occupying forces.
Time passed. Gradually, with each
new horror and act of pillage by the
Uhlans, the young girl’s indignation
and confidence grew.
Acts of fortitude
Émilienne created a special obser-
vation post in her attic, watching
events through her binoculars. She
started to observe the Germans
digging shelters in the slag heap,
installing themselves in the sorting
buildings and, on 8 October 1914,
setting up machine guns between
the pylons of La Fosse. “A moment
later, we spotted our soldiers on the
hill. I suddenly started shouting:
the poor souls are going to be mown
down by the machine guns…”
Without thinking, the young girl
started to run “like a mad woman”
between the bullets and pieces
of shrapnel to warn the soldiers.
French shells rained down on the
Germans. “Thank you my child,
you’re a very brave girl!”, the ser-
geant said to her. “You did well!”,
her father whispered as he hugged
her. The young girl’s resolve har-
dened with every passing day. When
the town hall was in flames, she
ran to put out the fire and save the
public archives; when the Germans
threatened her, she held her head
up high, brandishing a bottle at
them. “(...) I asked myself whether
it was really me who had behaved
with such fortitude,” she wrote later.
« Give me two
grenades »
When wounded British soldiers
passed through Loos-en-Gohelle,
Émilienne Moreau, who was devas-
tated by the sight, became a first-aid
worker. With her mother, she trans-
formed the family home into an infir-
mary and provided useful assistance
to a British doctor who established
a clinic there. In the book “Petits
héros de la Grande Guerre”
(Unsung Heroes of the Great War),
Jacquin and Fabre told how the
wounded continued to arrive in great
numbers and that many of them
remained outside on the street des-
pitetheirseriousinjuries.“Ignoring
the pleas of the major who feared
for her life, she left the safety of
her house and off she went amid
the crackle of gunfire to give
water to those in need, remo-
ving the wounded from among
the dead…” When she suddenly
saw three Germans head towards an
injured Scottish soldier, she decided
toattackthemaccompaniedbythree
other wounded soldiers “who could
barely stand up”. “Follow me”,
Émilienne Moreau whis-
pered, “I’ll go first.”
However, a noise
had undoubtedly
revealed their
presence and
a German
b u l l e t
s k i m m e d
past the
young girl’s
hair. She
decided that
all was not
lost. “Stay
here”, she
said, showing
the British soldiers
the door to the cellar,
“and give me two gre-
nades.” On another occa-
sion, a further act of bravery was
to immortalise Émilienne Moreau
in the hearts of the inhabitants of
Loos-en-Gohelle. On her own,
with a wounded soldier on a stret-
cher, she saw two Germans in front
of her pointing their guns directly
at her. Their shots missed but the
young girl’s did not. “The young
girl then spotted a revolver (...).
Émilienne grabbed hold of it.
Feverishly, she fired shot after
shot at random (...), and the
Germans, shot at almost point-
blank range, fell one after the
other.”
Frédo Duparcq, from the “Loos-
en-Gohelle sur les traces de la
Grande Guerre” association, knows
Émilienne’s story off by heart, or at
least the one recounted to him by the
village’s older residents, as recollec-
tions vary somewhat between Les
Mémoires d’Émilienne, the book by
Jacquin and Fabre, and the memo-
ries of local inhabitants. Whatever
the exact story, Émilienne Moreau’s
actions are to be applauded, and
Frédo, who has carefully read
through the rare edition of Le Miroir,
is happy to share the details of this
adventure. The story has a happy
ending, with medals and decora-
tions galore: “On the day that
Émiliennewasaccompanyingher
sister to Béthune for an opera-
tion, the latter injured by a shell,
a car stopped alongside them.
A few moments later, she was
presented to the British general
in command of the sector, who
wanted to thank her and inform
her that he had advised both the
French and British governments
of her actions. On 27 November
1915, following a mention in
dispatches by General Foch,
General De Sailly presented the
Military Cross with palm to the
young heroine. On the recom-
mendation of General Douglas
Haig, the British ambassador
in Paris also awarded her, in
the name of His Majesty the
King, the Military Medal, the
Royal Red Cross First Class
and the Medal of the
Order of St John of
Jerusalem.” It goes
without saying
that the Germans
would have
good reason
to remember
the name of
É m i l i e n n e
Moreau when
they returned
to the region
twenty years
later. Émilienne
showed the same
passionate commit-
ment in the Second
World War as she
did in the first, and
the woman known
as Jeanne Poirier
or “Émilienne
la Blonde” in
the heart of the
R e s i s t a n c e
would be
talked about
for many years
to come.
A young heroine…
T
o say that the inhabitants of Loos and the “Loos-en-Gohelle
sur les traces de la Grande Guerre” association are proud
of their heroine Émilienne Moreau is something of an
understatement, as it is worth stating from the outset that in
the Pas-de-Calais fearless 16-year-old girls with a grenade in
one hand and a revolver in the other were few and far between!
In turn a loving daughter, teacher, nurse and a combatant, she
never once submitted to the enemy or lost her nerve.
Émilienne Moreau from Loos-en-Gohelle
The war was far from over yet the young Emilienne Moreau had already been decorated with the Croix de Guerre with palm, which she received on 27 November
1915 from the French President, Raymond Poincaré, at the Elysée Palace. She would also be the only woman to be awarded the Military Medal, a British
distinction, and went on to receive the Royal Red Cross, the Medal of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem and the Légion d’Honneur. Photo:“Loos-en-GohellesurlestracesdelaGrandeGuerre”associationcollection.
Photo:HuguesChevalierprivatecollection

8 Text : Marie-Pierre Griffon
Vera Brittain was born in 1893 into a wealthy English
family. From an early age she refused to accept the res-
trictions placed on young women of the time, and envied
her younger brother who was able to leave the family
home without getting married. A rebel by nature, she
talked of nothing else except her independence, her stu-
dies and her career. Despite the disapproval of her father,
she succeeded in gaining a place at Somerville College,
Oxford, where she fell in love with Roland Leighton, a
friend of her brother. The future seemed nothing but rosy
for them when war broke out in 1914. “Carried away with
emotion and the glorious face of patriotism” (these were
her words),Vera put her name forward as a volunteer and
underwent training as an auxiliary nurse, once again
against the wishes of her father.
It was only three weeks later that she began to
truly understand the meaning of war, and every
day she was more and more horrified by the but-
chery of it all. In England, Malta, France and
Étaples in particular, she learnt of the deaths
of her friends, her fiancé, and later on, her bro-
ther. She found herself in the absurd position of
working relentlessly to save lives, in particular
those of German prisoners, at the same time as
her brother was trying to destroy them! It was
at this time that her pacifism took root. She
wrote and published her war diary from 1913 to
1917, entitled “Chronicle of Youth”, as well her
“Testament of Youth 1933”, an autobiography in
which, she says, she appealed more to the mind
than the heart. The story has been screened
in England in a very popular TV series. Vera
Brittain became tirelessly involved in the paci-
fist campaign during the inter-war years, and
later campaigned for nuclear disarmament, the
independence of the colonies, and the anti-apar-
theid movement in South Africa.
ENGLISH
Vera Brittain was a nurse in Etaples. Her involvement in the Great
War made her name as a militant and internationally famous pacifist.
The camp at Étaples
A huge camp was therefore set
up to store equipment, to pro-
vide training for troops and
to ensure their fitness. It also
housed around twenty hospitals,
with 20,000 beds, to receive
full trainloads of wounded sol-
diers arriving here. It even
became necessary to build an
additional station. The injured
were first received at rest posts
before being taken to the camp
in ambulances by British army
auxiliaries known as the “Khaki
Girls”, who were quickly given
the nickname of “Cats qui
gueulent” (screaming cats) by
locals in Étaples. These young
women, who also fulfilled the
role of cooks, typists, telepho-
nists for military staff etc, “eli-
cited not even the slightest
astonishment from local inha-
bitants who, for the first time
in their lives, were seeing
women dressed in uniform”,
explains Pierre Baudelicque,
a history professor at the uni-
versity. Upon their arrival, in
Étaples as elsewhere in the Pas-
de-Calais region, the soldiers
received a warm welcome from
the local population, “who saw
them as allies determined to
support the French fight, even
if in reality Great Britain
had declared war to protest
against the German violation
of Belgian neutrality”, adds
Xavier Boniface, a lecturer at the
Université du Littoral.
Illegitimate babies
On occasion, romances deve-
loped between soldiers and local
women. There were marriages,
very few in fact (the figure of
just five is mentioned), perhaps
because of the differences in reli-
gion (the soldiers were Anglican,
the local women Catholic).
These “fraternisations” resulted
in several illegitimate births
in every social category of the
population. “Babies born from
these day- or month-long liai-
sons were of course subjected
to gibes which the cocky and
ever-alert locals of Étaples
never missed an opportunity
to make up,” wrote Pierre
Baudelicque in his famous work
“Histoire d’Étaples. Des ori-
gines à nos jours”. These poor
children were picked upon
and often subjected to insults:
“Va donc, espèce ed’monster
ed’batard d’inglé!” (Clear off
you little monster and bastard of
an Englishman)
The “Black Plague”
Prostitution clearly prospered
and with it the “Black Plague”,
namely venereal diseases. This
curse was not immediately
noticed due to the attention
given solely to the war-wounded.
In France, the
big cities and
most of the
country’s
s e c o n -
d a r y
t o w n s
became sources of contagion.
In Étaples, a hospital was enti-
rely set aside for soldiers who
had contracted these “special”
illnesses. The epidemic also
spread within the civilian popu-
lation and is one of the reason
why the Franco-British cohabi-
tation became a little less har-
monious over time. In addition
to venereal diseases and pros-
titution, other problems which
tend to develop wherever there
are soldiers manifested them-
selves: the sale of alcohol, fights,
an increase in crime etc, even
though in Étaples the soldiers
rarely left their camp.
Furthermore, the population was
unhappy that its rights were being
restricted, particularly in terms
of movement (passes, ceasefires
etc). Relations were stretched
even further when, on the occa-
sion of the mutiny at the end of
1917, the soldiers left their camp
furious with rage, as a result of
which local “Étaplois” were sub-
jected to a week of hell… which
is still talked about even to
this day.
Vera BrittainVera Brittain
A volunteer turned spirited
pacifist
Local women and children...and English soldiers.
FraternisationFraternization
Photo:PierreBaudelicquecollection
É
TAPLES was a remarkable railway crossroads, as it was
from here that the battlefields of the Somme and Artois
could be reached. If you take into account the proximity
of Boulogne-sur-Mer and the existence of extensive available
land, you can easily understand why the British were so keen
to establish themselves in this perfect strategic location. It
was here that the military had extended the largest British
base in France. In all probability, over a million men passed
through here between March 1915 and November 1918, and
the base accommodated 60-80,000 soldiers at any one time.
Photo:PierreBaudelicquecollection

9Text : Philippe Vincent-Chaissac
BRITISH cemeteries are dotted
around the Pas-de-Calais, with
most of them located on the
Artois front. The largest ceme-
tery is situated in Étaples, far
from the trenches. The expla-
nation is simple: Étaples was
the base camp for the British,
who had established several
hospitals on the hill (nowadays
occupied by buildings) overloo-
king the old town.
“Étaples is the most painful of all
the cemeteries. It is here that men
killed slowly by gangrene and
gas, blind and with their lungs
destroyed, are laid to rest. They
were buried ten, fifteen, twenty at
a time”. In total there are 11,658
graves here, 800 of which fol-
lowed the German bombardment
in 1918.
The Bull Ring
What we do know is that this
cemetery situated above the
Canche river, on the road to
Boulogne, stood alongside a trai-
ning ground, the Bull Ring, in
the military camp at Étaples, a
compulsory stopping-point for all
those who, having disembarked
at Boulogne, required training
before being sent to the fronts in
the Artois and Flanders. It was
a veritable hell where men were
subjected to extreme discipline
and very hard training, and from
where they left, with few regrets,
for the front. This was, in short,
psychological preparation which
could have been justified had it
not been so excessive that it led to
a huge mutiny in September 1917
– a mutiny which Great Britain
covered up with a veil of silence.
A six-day revolt
Even historians, who were
aware of the facts from accounts
gathered from the local popu-
lation, were unable to get to the
very bottom of a story that the vast
majority of English, and more
widely the British, ignored until
1978, the year a book by William
Allison and John Fairley, entitled
The Monocled Mutineer, was
published. In the view of the his-
tory professor Pierre Baudelicque,
this work needs to be read with a
hint of caution. It was criticised
in England, although it had the
benefit of forcing an admission
that this revolt, which lasted six
days, actually took place. It was
a controversy at the time, is still a
controversy today, and will remain
so until 2017, the year in which
the cloak of secrecy relating to
military archives can be lifted.
For all that, the historian from
Étaples confirms the majority of
the views put forward in this book
translated by Claudine Lesage
in 1990, including the fact that
a very large number of soldiers
deserted to live in the woods,
marshland and dunes surrounding
the camp, as well as in the tun-
nels and caves dug in the chalky
landscapes around Camiers.
Among these deserters was a cer-
tain Percy Toplis, to whom Allison
and Fairley attributed an impor-
tant role in the sequence of events.
According to Pierre Baudelicque,
this man was certainly among
the deserters and was one of the
agitators, but we should attach a
little less importance to his role
and actions.
It appears that the revolt was
partly triggered by a tragedy: the
killing (by accidental gunshot
according to the official report)
of Corporal Wood, who was sur-
prised by a military policeman
while in conversation with a young
woman from Aberdeen wearing a
WAAC (Women's Auxiliary Army
Corps) uniform – a liaison which
was strictly forbidden.
This was the straw that broke the
camel’s back for the soldiers of the
camp, who had had enough of the
treatment metered out to them by
Brigadier General Thomson, the
camp commander – described as
a model of brutality and tyranny
– as well as by military instruc-
tors and police. The entire camp
was overcome by anger at the kil-
ling, which resulted in 3-4,000
soldiers, mainly from Scotland,
Australia and New Zealand, stor-
ming through the doors and fences
surrounding their billets. Their
uncontrollable fury was targeted
at their “torturers”, as well as at
French civilians, nurses etc, and
resulted in repeated beatings and
rapes.
Pierre Baudelicque highlights the
recollections of Lucien Roussel,
who was 15 years old at the time,
and who witnessed the British
troops “attack the town like
real savages, pillaging and
destroying everything before
them”.
A mutiny waiting to
happen
At the beginning, Brigadier
General Thomson had wanted
to convince people that this was
just a fit of anger. However, it was
much more serious than that given
that it lasted for six days.
Alongside the brutalities endured
by the soldiers, and the death
of Corporal Wood, other factors
almost certainly contributed to
this mutiny which had been sim-
mering for some time. The ques-
tions that need asking are nume-
rous. What information did the
soldiers have in their possession?
Did they know that there was also
talk of mutinies on the French
side? What influence was exerted
by the deserters who were acting
as camp guards and who joined
the troops? Had pacifist and com-
munist propaganda infiltrated the
camp?
Mutineers killed in
combat
The opening-up of the archives
will perhaps shed new light on
this affair which ended on Friday
14 September, the date on which
calm was considered to have
returned. This was made possible
by the arrival of troops whose role
was to restore order, including
Bengal Lancers who only required
a single order to open fire. Faced
with this impressive demons-
tration of force, the mutineers
returned to their ranks and were
soon moved to the Flanders front
where General Haig was readying
himself to launch the deadly
offensive at Passchendaele. Most
of the mutineers were killed there
without having had the opportu-
nity to explain exactly what hap-
pened in Étaples, where a com-
mission of enquiry identified the
ring-leaders.“It is thought that
a dozen or so executions took
place”, Pierre Baudelicque
wrote in his Histoire d’Étaples.
Other sentences were also
passed. How many men were
executed? This is another ques-
tion that remains unanswered
as the bodies of those shot
were taken back to England.
Nowadays, all that remains of the
Étaples camp is this impressive
cemetery. Nothing, of course, to
indicate that the power of the
British army had wavered here.
Allison and Fairley reaffirmed
this. Pierre Baudelicque takes
a more level-headed approach:
“the Étaples mutiny wasn’t
the only one. Others had
taken place in Le Havre, in
Calais… and in Dover”. What
is certain, however, is that cen-
sorship had worked effectively
and that the British silence had
done its job. “The older bro-
ther of my mother, who was
English, remained in Étaples
throughout the war, and
never spoke of a revolt among
his colleagues”, adds Pierre
Baudelicque.
A mutiny
Training in the Bull Ring, the scene of daily bullying and insults. The site was situated alongside the present-day military cemetery.
Abuse in the Bull Ring
Eye-witness accounts gathered from veterans, fifty or
sixty years after the event, are edifying. Troops arriving
in Boulogne immediately came under the control of the
dreaded Canaries (so-named because of their yellow
armbands), who would make them walk all the way to
Étaples by forced march, with only a half a slice of bread
and a glass of water for sustenance during a brief stop
in Neufchâtel – a foretaste of what was in store for them
once they arrived in Étaples. Cut off from the world, they
were the victims of both moral and physical abuse during
their entire training period. This breakdown of mental
strength was etched on their faces. The poet Wilfred
Owen, who viewed the Étaples camp as “an enclosure
where animals are left for several days before the final
carnage”, expressed this feeling, speaking of the blind
look in the eyes of his fellow men, “expressionless, like a
dead rabbit”. The Bull Ring was the scene of every kind
of bullying and insult on a daily basis. “I was wounded
twice but that was nothing compared with what I went
through in Étaples”, wrote one veteran. “To tell the truth,
I had experiences in Étaples that were as bad as those at
the front”, another added, “but nowhere did I feel such a
strong sense of anger”. A sentiment that was even more
legitimate given that the instructors who were putting
them through so much had never set foot in the trenches
themselves.
beneath a veil of silence
Photo:ClaudineLesagedocumentarycollection

“Play for them Laidlaw.
For the love of God, play for
them!” The piper plays Blue
Bonnets O’er the Border then On
the Braes O’Mar. Despite being
hit twice in the leg, he continues
to advance. When his comrades
have achieved their target, he
returns to the trench with his
bagpipes. Piper Laidlaw’s sortie
is one of the more unusual epi-
sodes of the Great War. Having
returned home alive from the
conflict, Daniel Laidlaw played
himself in the film “The Guns
of Loos” in 1928, also appearing
five years later in “Forgotten
Men”. “On 25 September 1915,
my hair turned white in just
a few hours”, explained Daniel
Laidlaw, who died in 1950. The
piper of the 7th Battalion King’s
Own Scottish Borderers symbo-
lises “to a T” the Scottish pres-
ence in the British army – a pres-
ence that hardly passed unnoticed
given that Scottish soldiers wore
their own uniform: a kilt, of course,
along with a leather sporran, and
a beret on their heads. These sol-
diers made a real impression, so
much so that the Germans referred
to them as “Damen von Hölle”,
the women from hell; the local
population was astonished to come
across them without any unde-
rwear! The “women from hell”
was perhaps an apt term as cou-
rage and commitment epitomised
the Scottish units in every battle
they were involved in.
Close to 150,000 Scots died
during the First World War, which
represents 20% of British losses.
To get an idea of the slaughter,
a comparison needs to be made
with Australia. Australia and
Scotland each had a population
of five million in 1914: 60,000
Australians died in 1914-18 com-
pared with 147,000 Scots. The
losses were huge during the Battle
of Loos: 50% of the men in each
of the eight battalions of the 15th
Scottish Division who attacked the
village and Hill 70.
U
NIONISTS and Nationalists. Protestants and Catholics. North and South. An
island divided, even more so after the bloody events of the 1916 “Easter
Rising” in Dublin (the rebellion against the British occupation and the
terrible repression that followed). However, a similar hell existed in the trenches
for the 210,000 Irish who served in the British army during the First World War,
in which 35,000 of them lost their lives. Yet, it wasn’t until 1998 that, as a sign of
reconciliation, the “Island of Ireland Peace Park” was inaugurated in Messines.
Having arrived in France at Le Havre from
18 December 1915 onwards, the16th Irish
Division had their first taste of the trenches in
early 1916. From 27 to 29 April, it was fully
engaged in the Battle of Hulluch, one of the
battles of the Great War in which poisoned
gas was used. During the German attack on
27 April, out of the 1,980 victims, 570 died,
to be followed by numerous wounded later on
as a result of respiratory problems. To incite
the Irish, the Germans had placed posters in
front of the trenches recalling the events of the
“Easter Rising” on 24 April. In August 1916,
the 16th Division adopted new positions in the
Somme. In June 1917, the Catholics from this
16th Division joined up with the Protestants
from the 36th Ulster Division near Messines,
taking the village of Wijtschate side-by-side
on 7 June. Following action at Péronne and
Hamel, the 16th Division was relieved in early
April 1918, following an order for it to return to
England via Aire-sur-la-Lys and Samer.
2
5 SEPTEMBER 1915, the Battle of Loos. The deafening
sound of bombs, bullets whistling through the air, and
cries of pain and terror. Suddenly, a traditional Scottish
sound seems to drown out the hail of bullets. Piper Daniel
Laidlaw has climbed out of the trenches with his bagpipes to
accompany his comrades towards the German lines.
23 August 1918 : the 2nd Battalion
the Royal Scots attacks the Germans
entrenched in Courcelles-le-Comte
from the rear. The soldier Hugh
McIver, a company runner, heads
off alone to attack an enemy posi-
tion. He kills six Germans, captures
twenty more, and seizes two machine
guns. When a British tank homes in
on the wrong target, aiming at its own
side, McIver climbs on to the vehicle
and re-adjusts the shot – heroic acts
which earned him the Victoria Cross,
awarded posthumously to his parents
in 1919 as Hugh McIver was killed
on 2 September near the Bois de
Vraucourt. He was 28 years old.
During the Great War, the Valenciennes artist Lucien Jonas (1880-
1947) painted more than 2,000 sketches and portraits of Allied officers
and soldiers, publishing a total of fifteen albums.
Photo: “Three Scottish soldiers” (Hugues Chevalier private collection)
23 August 2008 : following consi-
derable research, and as a result of the
perseverance of Christophe Guéant,
a keen local historian who for two
years had received the support of The
Somme Remembrance Association,
Courcelles-le-Comte welcomed men
from the 1st Battalion the Royal
Regiment of Scotland and forty or so
members of Hugh McIver’s family, who
had come to attend the inauguration of
a “Franco-English-Scottish” memorial
to honour the memory of this Scottish
soldier, Hugh McIver (born in Linwood,
Paisley), but also to “salute the sacrifice
made by a generation for freedom”.
Scots, bagpipes, kilts and courage
Blue Bonnets O’er the BorderBlue Bonnets O’er the Border
Posters proliferated to encourage the Irish both emi-
grants and those who had remained in the country to
rejoin English, Canadian and Australian regiments etc.
Irish,
“united” in the trenches
O’Leary, an Irish hero, was
awarded the Victoria Cross for
his actions at Cuinchy
from the north and south

11Text : Christian Defrance
In August 1914, a few days after
the German attack on Belgium,
43 young Americans started their
training with the famous Foreign
Legion. Their motivation? Quite
simply, their love of France, and the
defence of their beloved freedom...
plus, of course, a taste for adven-
ture! These Americans, the majo-
rity of whom were either intellec-
tuals, students or artists (such as
the poets Alan Seeger and Henry
Farnsworth), found themselves
alongside Spanish, Greek and
Swiss (including the writer Blaise
Cendrars) volunteers. Why the
Foreign Legion? This was the only
option that would ensure that they
kept their American citizenship,
given that the
United States was
not yet at war with
the German Empire.
These volunteers
would see action in
some of the bloodiest
battles of the Great War, including
the French offensive which began
on 9 May 1915 (Neuville-Saint-
Vaast, Carency, La Targette, Les
Ouvrages Blancs) and culminated
in the capture of the Notre-Dame-
de-Lorette hill.
The Rockwell
brothers
Asheville, North Carolina, in a
valley in the Appalachian moun-
tains. War is declared in Europe.
The Rockwell brothers, Paul and
Kiffin,buoyedbyaspiritof“liberty,
equality and fraternity”, write
to the French consul general in
New Orleans in order for them “to
pay their share of the debt to
Lafayette and Rochambeau”.
They didn’t wait for the reply which
was a long time coming and took
the first available ship, to
Liverpool, on 3 August
1914. From here they
travelled to Le Havre
and Paris, and quickly
on to the French Legion
on 30 August. Training
followed in Rouen,
Toulouse and the Mailly
camp, before they were
“plunged” into the
trenches. Wounded at
the Chemin des Dames,
Paul left active service
and became the war cor-
respondent for the Chicago
Daily News. In 1925, he fought
in the Rif War and served in the
American army during the Second
World War. Born in 1892, Kiffin
was wounded for the first time in
December 1914. Having recovered
from his injuries, he joined up with
the Moroccan Division and was
wounded a second time, this time
in the leg, during the charge on La
Targette on 9 May 1915. Six weeks
of convalescence followed. Kiffin
was transferred to air duties and,
along with his compatriots Thaw,
Cowdin, McDonnell, Prince, Hall
and others, he became part of the
famous “Lafayette squadron”.
On 18 May 1916, he shot down his
first German plane over Alsace.
Kiffin Rockwell was to become “the
king of the skies” as a result of his
141 successful combat missions,
which earned him the Military
Medal and the Croix de Guerre.
On 23 September, he was killed
by an explosive bullet during an
aerial duel near the place where he
enjoyed his first victory. In a letter
to his brother, Kiffin wrote: “If
France should lose, I feel that I
should no longer want to live”.
From Loos
to the Bounty
An adventurer, soldier, fighter
pilot and writer who lived in Iowa,
London, Loos-en-Gohelle and
Tahiti: this is the incredible life
story of James Norman Hall, born
in Colfax, Iowa, in 1887. In August
1914, he found himself in London,
where he passed himself off as
a Canadian in order to enlist as
one of Lord Kitchener’s very first
volunteers. In September 1915,
he took part in the Battle of Loos,
where his company was decimated.
Whilst on leave, it was
discovered that Hall
was American, which
resulted in his demo-
bilisation. This sol-
dier-author was quick
to relate his terrible
experiences in a book,
“Kitchener’s Mob”.
He returned to France
as part of the Lafayette
squadron and covered
himself with glory as a
captain in the U.S. Air
Force, receiving the
Légion d’Honneur. In
1920, James Norman
Hall and his friend
Charles Nordhoff left
for Tahiti, embarking
on one of the most
famous collaborations in American
literature as the authors of the
“Mutiny on the Bounty” trilogy.
Weeks
mother and son
Kenneth Weeks was born in
Chestnut Hill, a suburb of Boston,
on 30 December 1889. He was edu-
cated at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology then the Beaux-Arts
in Paris, and planned to make a
career in architecture. Kenneth
loved writing, Paris and France; on
21 August 1914, he enlisted in the
Foreign Legion, spending the winter
of 1914 in the trenches. On 17 June
1915, the American was reported
missing near Souchez, and his body
was recovered on 25 November and
buried in the cemetery in Écoivres,
near Mont-Saint-Éloi. His mother,
Alice Standish Weeks, lived in Paris
from 1915 onwards, providing a
lodging in her home for volunteers
on leave, and writing to them on
a very regular basis. Some of this
correspondence from “Maman
Légionnaire” (Mother of the
Legion”), as she was affectionately
known,wassubsequentlypublished.
From Massachusetts
Far from the somewhat romantic
image of the “American colony in
Paris”, many U.S. citizens signed
up with British or Canadian regi-
ments prior to 1917, often using
a pseudonym and recruited via
Canadian and British missions. This
is how, for example, W. Chadwick
from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, killed in action
on 15 September 1918, came to be
buried in the Five Points Cemetery
in Léchelle. He was just 15 years
old. Fifteen! Research has unco-
vered the identity of this “teenage
soldier”, who was William Hesford,
born in Massachusetts, and wit-
hout doubt the youngest American
soldier to die in the Great War.
Several hundred soldiers from
Massachusetts have also been iden-
tified.
Metcalf from Maine
In August 1914, the mother of
20-year-old William Metcalf learnt
that he had left Waite, in Maine,
and crossed the nearby Canadian
border in order to enlist in the
army. She immediately contacted
the authorities for them “to return
her son”. Upon disembarking in
England, William was called by the
American ambassador. Are you the
young man whose mother is waiting
for you at home in Maine? “I’m not
that man”, William replied. “I’m
from New Brunswick!” – a sta-
tement confirmed by his colonel.
The ambassador was powerless to
do anything. Four years later, on 2
September 1918, William Henry
Metcalf, one of the heroes of the
Battle of the Drocourt-Quéant
Line, was awarded the presti-
gious Victoria Cross. Following
the Armistice, he returned to his
native Maine, where he embarked
on a career as a mechanic. He died
in South Portland on 8 August
1968.
Americans, from La Fayette to Lorette
L
ONG LIVE America! On 13 June 1917, around two hundred
American soldiers and civilians disembarked in Boulogne-
sur-Mer. At their head was General Pershing, commander-in-
chief of the American Expeditionary Force. America was ready to
“finish the job in Europe”, and its participation in the Great War
would be one of the keys to the Allied victory. On 11 November
1918, a total of two million “Doughboys” or “Sammies” –
nicknames for soldiers from the U.S.A. – were in France, a million
of whom had already seen combat; and Foch, Pétain and Pershing
already had plans for the involvement of four and a half million
men in 1919. By the end of the war, more than 100,000
Americans had lost their lives, and 200,000 had
been wounded, in places such as Saint-Mihiel,
Château-Thierry, the Argonne, Marne and Meuse.
This “official story” has somewhat eclipsed the
participation of American volunteers in the conflict
well before the U.S.A.’s official entry into the war in
the spring of 1917.
James Norman Hall, from the Battle
of Loos to the Mutiny on the Bounty.
Photo: D.R.
Kiffin Rockwell, on the left, and fellow legionnaires in the trenches.
Photo: www.scuttlebuttsmallchow.com
A “Doughboy” with a determined look.
Photo: Hugues Chevalier documentary collection

“I was aware that villagers
had been evacuated, and that
the Germans had blown up the
church in 1917. My brother had
even received a photo of the
event sent by a German with
whom he corresponded and
who had even fought in Sains!”
The mayor had even heard talk of
the “capture” of the village, of its
“reconstruction”, involving the
digging of twenty wells, “plus, of
course, the British cemeteries”.
Except that of the 273 graves at
Quarry Wood, 260 are Canadian;
of the 257 at the Ontario Cemetery,
142 are Canadian; and of the 227
at the Sains-lès-Marquion British
Cemetery, 177 are also Canadian.
It was the arrival in Sains of
Michel Gravel in 2003 which “set
the cat among the pigeons” for
the mayor of the village. Since
2001, Gravel, a roof salesman
from Cornwall, Ontario, has spent
all his time researching Canada’s
military past. An inveterate his-
tory buff, he has thumbed his
nose at academics. In particular,
he has published “Tough as
Nails” (“Arras à Cambrai par le
chemin le plus long”), which pro-
vides a new insight into the cap-
ture of Canal du Nord. Supporting
documentation comes in the form
of regimental journals and the
recollections of “Hillie” Foley,
a roofer from Ottawa. “Gravel
told us what happened on 27
September 1918 in Sains-lès-
Marquion”, states Guy de Saint-
Aubert, “and I wanted to satisfy
the curiosity of our local inha-
bitants.”
No more fighting
Hence the inauguration of a com-
memorative plaque on the square
on 31 August 2008. Ninety years
before, on 27 September 1918
to be exact, on the left flank
of the Allied offensive against
the Hindenburg Line, the 14th
Battalion (Royal Montreal
Regiment) of the 3rd Canadian
Infantry Division attacked the
Germans who were holding the
Canal du Nord. Supported by an
artillery barrage and by four tanks
from the British Tank Corps, the
14th Battalion established a
bridgehead on the fields to the
south of Sains-lès-Marquion.
After a brief lull, they went on the
offensive again, entering the vil-
lage from the rear and taking the
enemy completely by surprise,
with the Canadian “steamroller”
taking five hundred prisoners. “A
tactical masterpiece within the
Battle of the Canal du Nord,
the most complex operation
of the Great War, and a plan
that was incredibly ambitious”,
asserts Michel Gravel. “The
battle was won here in Sains,
so a monument was needed
to commemorate it”, he adds,
remembering the memorial at the
Bois de Bourlon. Although the
famous 14th Battalion lost sixty
men on 27 September, a total
of 9,000 Canadians were killed
along the road from Arras to
Cambrai between 26 August and
9 October 1918. All these soldiers
had made “the supreme sacri-
fice”, Michel Gravel pronounces
darkly. “He knows them like the
back of his hand”, explains the
mayor of Sains. “In front of each
grave he will tell you that so-
and-so died in Marquion, ano-
ther at the hospital, and even
the names of their parents.”
So it was, therefore, at the end of
August, that Michel was able to
show Jim Vallance “the exact
spot where his great-uncle,
James Wellington Young, was
killed on 27 September 1918”.
Jim Vallance, who was making
his second visit to Sains-lès-
Marquion, is famous in Canada
as a songwriter for Bryan Adams,
the Scorpions, Joe Cocker, Rod
Stewart, Tina Turner and others.
Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams
wrote “Remembrance Day” (11
November) in 1986: “The guns
will be silent on Remembrance
Day. We’ll all say a prayer on
Remembrance Day”. In Sains-
lès-Marquion, everyone is com-
mitted to weapons being silenced
forever. Liberated in 1918 by the
Canadians, the village is now
twinned with the German town
of Neuenheerse. “There’ll be
no more fighting”, sings Bryan
Adams.
We hope that is the case.
H
E has counted the graves in three military cemeteries
in his local commune. Guy de Saint-Aubert is the
mayor of Sains-lès-Marquion and has thrown himself
into a commemorative project that he wasn’t in the least bit
expecting. He was certainly familiar with the main thread
of the turbulent events experienced in his village during the
Great War, but there is so much more to the story…
From 1914-18 to today: a Canadian battalion passes through Barlin (above); soldiers from the 14th Battalion
are buried at the cemetery in Sains-lès-Marquion where Michel Gravel and Jim Vallance pay their respects (below).
1918-2008
619,000 soldiers mobilised
Gloriously sunny skies welcomed Queen Elisabeth II to Vimy on 9 April 2007, where she was presiding
over the official inauguration of the restored monument. “Victory at Vimy Ridge enabled Canada to occupy
an important place in the world, inspiring a young country to become a magnificent nation”, she said. In
Canada, everyone knows about Vimy, however in the grand scheme of things this small part of the Pas-de-
Calais is just a single episode in Canada’s participation in the Great War. From October 1914 onwards,
Canadian volunteers were already arriving in England and were involved in early fighting near Ypres at
the beginning of 1915. The Canadian Expeditionary Force had already distinguished itself in the battles
of Ypres and in the face of the horrors of poison gas, as well as in Neuve-Chapelle in March 1915, and
Festubert and Givenchy in May and June 1915. From July to November 1916, there they are again in the
tragic Battle of the Somme. And then at Vimy Ridge from 9 to 14 April 1917; Arleux; the 3rd Battle of the
Scarpe; Souchez; Avion; Hill 70 and the offensive against Lens in August 1917 (the only large-scale urban
battle in the Great War); Amiens in August 1918; the breaching of the Hindenburg Line during the autumn
of 1918; and the advance from Arras to Cambrai. In total, the Canadian Expeditionary Force committed
619,000 men to the First World War (a figure based initially on volunteers and then on conscription after
Vimy, to which Quebec was opposed). There were many immigrants in the Canadian Expeditionary Force,
and it is estimated that half of all its soldiers were born in the United Kingdom. Add to these Ukrainians,
Russians, Scandinavians, Dutch, Belgians and a plethora of Americans, not forgetting four thousand native
Indians, Inuits and Métis. The human cost was a very heavy one: 66,655 dead, of whom 19,660 were uni-
dentified. In places such as Achicourt, Vimy, Étaples, Écoivres, Thélus, Villers-au-Bois and elsewhere,
28,785 Canadian officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers are laid to rest in the six hundred or so
cemeteries and burial sites in the Pas-de-Calais.
from Vimy Ridge to the Canal du Nord
Canadians,
from Vimy Ridge to the Canal du Nord
Photo:ChristianDefrancePhoto:DominiqueFaivredocumentarycollection

On Monday 22 August 2005, along the Béthune to Lens road, a bronze plaque in three lan-
guages (English, French... and Ukrainian) was inaugurated near the Hill 70 battlefield where
FilipKonowal’sactionswererewardedwiththeVictoriaCross,thehighestBritishmilitarydis-
tinction. Filip Konowal had a “fascinating yet little-known history”. He served for three years
and 357 days in the ranks of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in which 10,000 Ukrainian-
Canadians enlisted, while thousands of others were interned in camps as “citizens from an
enemy country”. Born on 15 September 1888 in Kudkiv, on the border between the Russian
and Austro-Hungarian empires, Filip enlisted in the Russian imperial army at the age of 21.
In1913,heemigratedonhisowntoCanada,workingasalumberjackoutWestbeforeheading
East to Ontario with the aim of quickly being reunited with his family. Having volunteered
in 1915, he landed in France in August 1916, where he was involved in the battles of the
Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Lens, where we was awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross (alone
killing sixteen enemy soldiers in three days) and received a serious head wound. He returned
to Canada after the war, learning that his wife had died of hunger in the Ukraine, and that
his daughter had been interned in a camp. Having slowly recovered from his injuries, Filip
Konowal worked as a caretaker in Canada’s House of Commons before being assigned the
post of custodian of the Prime Minister’s office. He died in Ottawa on 3 June 1959 and was
more or less forgotten until the acts of Canadian-Ukrainian reconciliation, which took place
after the year 2000 and were overseen by Lubomyr Luciuk, a professor from Ontario. In
1956, describing his heroic actions on Hill 70, Filip Konowal declared to a journalist: “I was
so fed up standing in the trench with water to my waist that I said the hell with it and started
after the German army!”.
On 16 September, the 22nd
reached Saint-Omer, where
the general headquarters allo-
cated it an interpreter who was
heard to exclaim: “mais nom
d’un chien, vous parlez tous le
français, et l’anglais bien mieux
que moi” (“good grief – you
all speak French, and English
better than I do!”). 1,178 men
were readying themselves for
the trenches, including 1,078
French-speaking Canadians, 47
French-Americans from New
England, 14 French, 10 British,
4 Swiss, 3 Italians, 2 Spanish,
1 Mexican, 1 Argentinian and
some Russians! During the
course of 38 months of war,
and taking reinforcements into
account, 5,919 officers, non-
commissioned officers and sol-
diers served in the 22nd. From
September 1915 to August
1916, the 22nd went on the
attack, suffered the effects of
mud and gas, and demonstrated
their bravery and energy around
the “Ypres Salient” in Flanders.
These “Frenchmen dressed in
English style” (i.e. khaki) then
headed for the Somme, com-
manded by Lieutenant-Colonel
Tremblay. On the evening of
15 September 1916, the 22nd
took and held Courcelette “to
the final man…” in the terrible
battle of the same name: “If hell
is as abominable as what I saw
in Courcelette, I wouldn’t want
my worst enemy to go there”,
wrote Colonel Tremblay in his
campaign journal. The hell of
Courcelette brought with it des-
pair and revolt within the bat-
talion, in which three soldiers
were shot for desertion. On 1
October came the attack on the
Regina trench. Men fell in their
hundreds, and the four com-
panies, their ranks decimated,
needed urgent reorganisation;
on the 15th they established
quarters in Bully-Grenay and
at Fosse 10 with the “ch’ti” (the
local inhabitants of the Pas-
de-Calais), where they were
entrenched in the heart of the
Angres sector. Their new objec-
tive in 1917 was the attack on
Vimy Ridge on 9 April – the
greatest Canadian victory of the
Great War and a joint English-
and French-speaking success.
Having barely gathered their
emotions, the 22nd arrived at
Côte 70 (the French transla-
tion of Hill 70, named after
the 70 marker, a figure which
appears on local topographical
maps) in a suburb of Lens,
where the attack took place on
15 August 1917. In later years,
a ski run in Les Laurentides
would be named Côte 70: quite
a transition from coal to snow!
Following new raids in Belgium,
the 22nd spent Christmas and
New Year in the “civilised sur-
roundings” of Ligny-lès-Aire:
“What joy for all our poor tom-
mies used to the horror of deso-
late ruins to spend a few weeks
in a village that had not seen the
war, to be able to breathe fresh
country air without the burning
sensation of powder and poi-
soned gas in their throats, and
to be able to sleep for an entire
night without being suddenly
and continually woken by the
sound of cannons”, wrote A.-J.
Lapointe in “Soldier of Quebec”.
The 22nd began 1918 in the
Neuville-Vitasse and Mercatel
sectors: “filthy sectors, mud up
to your knees; no trenches, just
shallow ditches with individual
holes that men dug as fast as
they could”. The battalion made
their way through the south
of the Artois: Bailleulmont,
Bailleulval, Lattre-Saint-
Quentin, Bienvillers-au-Bois
and Hermaville. Then came
the Battle of Amiens in early
August and Chérisy at the end
of the same month: “...indefa-
tigable heroism. All the officers
of the 22nd were either killed or
wounded”. At Chérisy, Georges
Vanier, the future Canadian
ambassador to France from
1945 to 1953, and Governor
General of Canada (the first
French speaker to be appointed
to the post) from 1959 to 1967,
lost his right leg. The Battle of
Cambrai, the Armistice and the
long “march on Germany” then
followed. The battalion returned
to England on 10 May 1919
aboard the Olympic, the sister
ship of the Titanic, and received
a hero’s welcome a week later in
Québec City and then Montreal.
1,074 officers, non-commis-
sioned officers and other ranks
from the 22nd battalion died in
combat or as a result of combat,
with 2,887 others wounded.
1
5 SEPTEMBER 1915, 8.30pm, and the steamer Princess
of Argyll is berthing in Boulogne-sur-Mer. On the
quayside the few spectators “listen attentively”. For
over a year now Boulogne has been used to the sight of
British troops disembarking at the port, but this evening the
new arrivals are speaking French. The news travels fast: the
French-Canadians are heading for the front! “The 22nd caused
quite a stir”, wrote Joseph Chaballe in his “Histoire du 22e
bataillon canadien-français”, a battalion officially born on 21
October 1914 following the actions of fifty or so individuals
“frustrated” by the fact that the first contingent of volunteers
which had departed for Europe did not include a single
exclusively French-speaking fighting unit within its ranks.
The 22e Battalion «indefatigable heroism»
Included in the list of 1,074 dead from the 22nd Battalion is the name Célestin
Hermary, originally from Saint-Floris in the Pas-de-Calais. Having emigrated
to Canada with his family in 1907, Célestin signed up in September 1916.
Following his arrival in France on 7 September 1917, he was killed near
Mercatel on 2 April 1918 and buried at the Wailly Orchard Cemetery.
Filip Konowal,
The medals of Filip Konowal, a hero of both Canada and the Ukraine.
the Ukrainian of Hill 70
Photos:FrançoisCaronprivatecollection.

Calais
Teneur
érin
Ruminghem
Blendecques Arques
Roqueto
Fauquembergues Thérouanne
MametzClarques
Erny-Saint-Julien
Ligny-l
S
Ambleteuse
Samer
étaples
Montreuil-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Wimereux
Saint-étienne-au-Mont
This map of the Pas-de-Calais is marked with
the names of towns and villages listed in this
document.
Memories of the Great War are
everywhere in our département,
ranging from the national memorial
at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (with its
3,600 guards of honour) to the
Canadian memorial at Vimy and
the Wellington quarry in Arras,
as well as a plethora of military
cemeteries – French, German and
British (the latter maintained by
the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission) – and our own
war memorials.
Vimy
Monchy-le-Preux
Saint-O

oire
n
lès-Aire
Lillers
Festubert
Givenchy
Béthune
Lens
Loos-en-Gohelle
Hulluch
Grenay
Bully-les-Mines
Souchez
Vimy
Fouquières-lès-Lens
Sallaumines
Wailly
Mercatel
Ayette
VéluBapaume
Léchelle
Aire-sur-la-Lys
Saint-Hilaire-Cottes
Saint-Floris
Saint-Venant
Laventie
Neuve-Chapelle
Neuville-Saint-Vaast
Aubigny-en-Artois
Mont-Saint-éloi
Richebourg
Arras
Chérisy
Cagnicourt
Courcelles-le-Comte
Warlencourt-Eaucourt
Monchy-le-Preux
Sains-lès-Marquion
Neuville-Vitasse
Recommended reading
• World War I. Five Continents in Flanders: Dominik Dendooven
& Piet Chielens (Lannoo)
• La Première Guerre mondiale: John Keegan (Perrin, collection
Tempus)
• 14-18 retrouver la Guerre: Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau, Annette
Becker (Gallimard)
• Les cimetières militaires en France. Architecture et paysages:
Anne Biraben (L’Harmattan)
• L’archéologie de la Grande Guerre: Yves Desfossés,
Alain Jacques et Gilles Prilaux (Ouest-France)
• Dans la Fournaise de Lens 1915-1917.
Journal du notaire Léon Tacquet: Les
Dossiers de Gauhéria n° 7
(Gauhéria)
• Mémoires de guerre
(Comité d’histoire du Haut-Pays)
• 14-18. La Grande Guerre.
Armes, uniformes, matériels:
François Bertin (Ouest-France)
• Le Guide de la Première
Guerre Mondiale des Flandres
à l'Alsace (Casterman)
• La butte sanglante : Pierre
Miquel (Pocket)
• Les Mutins: W. Allison,
J. Fairley et traduit par
Claudine Lesage (A.M.M.E.
Editions)
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette
Omer

16 Text : Philippe Vincent-Chaissac
A
RACA stands for the Association de
Recherche des Anciens Combattants
Amérindiens. In just a few years this
association, whose headquarters is in Loos-en-
Gohelle, has been a key player in research into
the military role played by Native Americans.
Its president, Yann Castelnot, has even become a
spokesperson for the families of those Native Americans
soldiers who came to Europe to fight in Canadian,
British and, on occasion, French units. Its aim is to
honour their memory and to recognise their commitment
and sacrifice which have long been ignored.
To date, Yann Castelnot has a list of more than 4,000
names of Native Americans who fought in the First
World War. These include Mohawks, Onondagas,
Oneidas, Tuscaroras, Chippewas, Crees, Algonquins,
Malecites, Bloods, Iroquois and Sioux, who came from
numerous native nations around North America. How
many of them made it to the Pas-de-Calais? It’s a very
difficult question to answer at present as historians and
researchers have only shown interest in this subject
over the past decade.
For his part, Yann Castelnot has embarked on a long
and painstaking project, as those Native Americans who
did enlist did so under French- or English-sounding
assumed names. Officially, they were not allowed to
sign up for purely political reasons: sending “savages”
to the front wasn’t the done thing. In addition, military
enlistment papers in 1914-1915 bore no indication as
to whether those enrolled were Native Americans or
not. The only clue was their place of birth. However,
information provided by families also had to be factored
in. Many present-day Native Americans are aware
that their grandfathers and great-grandfathers left for
the war, but most have paid little attention to what
happened or what they went through. For many, their
enlistment proved their patriotism. “Native Americans
are particularly appreciative of France, which
often stood alongside them in their struggle for
the recognition of their rights”, explains Annick
Bouquet, ARACA’s secretary. Many left with the
hope of bringing money to help their families live
on their reserves, where the land was not especially
fertile. According to a native historian, this was also
a way for men to rediscover an active and essential
role for themselves, a role which they had enjoyed
until the establishment of their reserves. “It was an
opportunity for them to escape a life of boredom”.
They headed off with enthusiasm, sometimes several
from the same family. One source highlights the case
of the Algonquins from the shores of the Golden Lake:
only three men remained on the entire reserve. Annick
Bouquet also points out that women also volunteered
as nurses, canteen workers etc. Children remained at
home with the older generations. Yann Castelnot adds
that on the list in his possession the same family name
and place of origin is repeated on several occasions.
The proof appears to be conclusive.
For a long time it has been difficult to discuss this issue.
Firstly, because the Canadian authorities, like the
British, were reticent about opening up their archives.
In the United States, where the question has been asked
in similar terms, it is also almost impossible to make
any headway at present. Another problem was that
those Native Americans who returned home had, like
the European soldiers they fought alongside, found it
hard to talk of their experiences. Today, however, they
are confronted by the question of their own cultural
identity and their spirituality. They are embarking on
a process of cultural rebuilding and as such need to
know the history of their ancestors. Yann Castelnot, who
now lives in Canada, is keen to help them and to obtain
from them the information which will assist him with
the research he is carrying out. And with each person
he meets, he makes a new friend and is moved by their
experiences.
Native Americans
W
HILE wandering around
military cemeteries and
poring over registers,
Yann made his first discovery: the
grave of Standing Buffalo, the
grandson of the Sioux chief Sitting
Bull, who died during the First
World War, in the cemetery along
the Bucquoy road, in Ficheux.
Far from the image associated
with the Sioux, that of semi-
savages adorned with feathers,
Native Americans were considered
unrivalled warriors with qualities
that were taken advantage of by
military leaders. Because of their
ability to move around silently
and unnoticed, the most dangerous
reconnaissance missions were
assigned to them. Prior to an
attack, they were sent into no man’s
land, often behind enemy lines to
bring back valuable information.
Excellent spotters, they were also
given the role of snipers, whose
aim was to disconcert the enemy.
The most famous example is that
of Henri Norwest, who is said to
have killed 115 soldiers, and was
considered the best Canadian shot
and perhaps the most accomplished
within the combined British forces,
to whom the Military Medal was
promised for his reconnaissance
work and comportment at Vimy
Ridge in 1917. Sadly, Norwest
was the victim of a German sniper,
and is buried at Warvillers in the
Somme.
Native Americans were numerous
among the Canadian troops engaged
at Vimy: among them, Mike
Mountain Horse, who saw his first
action at Vimy and who later wrote
in his memoirs: “Lying on top of
Vimy Ridge one night, along with
a number of other Indian boys, I
listened to the deafening enemy
bombardment of Allied lines and
I asked myself where was this
God talked about by white men
Over 4,000 enlisted
under assumed names
John Lorenzetto, from the Okanagan nation, had an ancestor
who was Italian. Attached to a group of soldiers responsible for
bringing provisions to the front line, he was taken by surprise
and killed in a bombardment on 8 September 1918. His
grave is located in the dominion cemetery between Cagnicourt and
Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt.
Tom Longboat is
perhaps the most
famous Native
American from
the Great War. A
marathon cham-
pion, he was used
as courier.
and in whom they wanted us to
believe? Why was he allowing all
this destruction? And I prayed
that he would bring nations to
reason.” Mike Mountain Horse had
brothers who also enlisted, including
Albert, who took part in the 2nd
Battle of Ypres, and Joe, wounded
at Arras in 1917. Yann Castelnot
also highlights the examples of
William Cleary, a Montagnais, and
Joseph Roussin, a Mohawk, both
lumberjacks, who served in the 22nd
French-Canadian battalion and who
distinguished themselves in Lens,
one by retrieving two wounded men
upon his return from a raid, the other
for having led a successful solo attack
against eight enemy soldiers. These
events confirm Annick Bouquet’s
view that the Germans were very
afraid of the Native Americans. She
also mentions an event that is said
to have taken place around Lillers
in which an Indian, screaming at the
top of his voice, headed off alone to
attack a trench occupied by Germans
who immediately surrendered to him.
She does concede, however, that this
anecdote has not been verified, as
the difficulty lies in finding historical
proof for such stories. True or not,
German records exist that confirm
this fear. In one of them, there is a
tale of a Native American who ran
at full speed (many were used as
couriers), fell numerous times, got
up on each occasion and despite his
injuries was still able to surprise his
assailant.
In another, it is the description of one
of these Native Americans, captured
at Vimy, which is noted: “he had
no hair, just a tuft on the top of
his head. His face was painted in
red and white”. Such an image was
certain to instil fear, but what was
most impressive, perhaps, was the
steady gaze. Norwest’s stare, with his
eyes resembling two polished black
marble discs, could be enigmatic,
hypnotic and piercing all at once.
Photo:MichelGraveldocumentarycollection
Snipers and runners :Snipers and runners : feared adversaries

A
RHAM, the Association de
Recherches Historiques,
Archéologiques et Militaires,
and its president, Dominique Faivre are
hugely knowledgeable when it comes
to the Indian presence in Northern
France during the Great War – a
presence that left its mark both as a
result of fighting and of soldiers being
billeted in the region.
With their dark skin, turbans, hair buns,
beards and exotic cuisine, the Indians made
a striking impression on local inhabitants.
“When I was very little I used to listen
to my grandmother from Saint-Venant
talk about the Indians.” By listening to
the older generations reminisce about these
soldiers, Dominique developed a soft spot
for this unique army, taking advantage of
a long period of illness in 2004 and 2005
to accumulate documents and research
British regimental journals. “The subject
is hugely complex: this was a skilled
army which undoubtedly based its ope-
ration around that of the British army,
but with the added aspect of numerous
ethnic and religious groups”. This local
historian had to familiarise himself with
the customs of Sikhs, Gurkhas, Balochs,
Dogras, Garhwalis, Jats, Pathans, Rajputs
and Punjabis before delving further into
their battles. The first Indian troops arrived
in Marseille in late September 1914, heading
north in October via the Cercottes camp near
Orléans. “Indians arrived at the railway
stations of Arques and Blendecques on
the night of 19 to 20 October; the 47th
Sikhs were billeted in the Abbaye de
Wisques”, Dominique adds. From the 23rd,
the Ferozepore Brigade headed down into
the trenches around Messines, to be followed
by a true baptism of fire a few days later –
events which engaged the Indian Corps
fully during the battles of Neuve-Chapelle
(28 October and 2 November 1914, then
from 10 to 13 March 1915), Festubert (23
and 24 November 1914, and 16 May 1915),
Givenchy (19 to 22 December 1914), Aubers
(9 May 1915), and Moulin de Piètre (25
September 1915). “Butchery, slaughter,
courage,heroism”,saysDominiqueFaivre.
“From Fauquissart to Givenchy-lès-la-
Bassée, they spent a year in the muddy
trenches, enduring frozen feet and pneu-
monia. At Festubert, Darwan Singh Negi
was decorated with the Victoria Cross,
the highest British military decoration,
which George V awarded him perso-
nally in Saint-Omer on 9 December.”
In the soldiers’ quarters around the villages
of Lillers, Auchel and Aire-sur-la-Lys life
re-assumed some semblance of normality:
“I know that in England there are five
hundred unpublished photos of the daily
lives of Indian soldiers in Saint-Floris.”
A war reporter wrote the following descrip-
tion in the magazine Le Flambeau in 1915:
“They made themselves at home in our
farms as if they had been born there, and
our brave peasants were amazed to see
them wander around their farmyards
with such ease. As for the Indians,
nothing surprised them. Provided that
the British Supply Corps provided them
with plentiful quantities of ghee (clari-
fied butter), goat meat – a ritual abat-
toir was set up in Aire – or, failing that,
mutton, and red pepper, they accepted
their lot with the unconcerned attitude
that is so typical of Eastern cultures.”
Its regiments bled dry and deprived of
reinforcements, the Indian Corps left the
north and the Pas-de-Calais to be sent to
Mesopotamia at the end of September 1915,
with only two cavalry divisions left behind.
In a little more than a year, the Indian Corps
suffered 34,000 losses, taking into account
the dead (7,000), wounded and prisoners of
war. In Saint-Floris, Saint-Hilaire-Cottes and
Erny-Saint-Julien,thechildrenwhoobserved
from near or far the “rest time” taken by
these extraordinary soldiers will never forget
them. Dominique Faivre reasserts the fact
that during a difficult period in his life,
“my research into the Indian Corps was
hugely therapeutic”. At some stage he will
delve further into the story of the Sikhs and
Gurkhas in our region, perhaps at the time
when “all the correspondence that was
censored and archived in England” will
be become freely available to the public.
Unheralded heroes
ARHAM has purchased some magnificent lithographs by Paul Sarrut on the internet. This French
liaison officer “wandered” around the camps of Indian troops in Warnes, Isbergues, Allouagne,
Erny-Saint-Julien etc in order to capture real-life images of these fascinating soldiers and
officers.
It was at a place known as La Bombe, between
Neuve-Chapelle and Richebourg, once a cross-
roads and now a roundabout, that the Meerut
Division attacked in March 1915, and it is here
that two stone tigers stand at the entrance to the
Indian Memorial, designed by Sir Herbert Baker
and inaugurated on 7 October 1927 in the presence
of Marshal Foch, the Maharajah of Kapurthala,
the novelist Rudyard Kipling and other dignita-
ries. The marshal reminded those attending that
“over a million Indian troops fought on the
French front and in the Dardanelles”. The
memorial pays tribute to 4,843 men, listed accor-
ding to their unit. “France will never forget
those who rushed from all parts of the globe
to fight against force and tyranny”, added the
Minister of the Colonies. In 1964, a bronze plaque
was added bearing the names of 206 Indian sol-
diers who had died in Germany, where they were
prisoners of war.
In a book published in 1993, “Mon devoir de mémoire”
(My Duty of Remembrance), Paul Raoult, the son of the
primary schoolteacher in Saint-Floris, also remembered
“the unfortunate Indians”. “They had great difficulty
adapting to our weather. They suffered from the
cold in the harsh winter of 1914, both in the trenches
and in the barns in their billets. One of them, who
showed particular kindness towards me, knocked
on our window one evening. We hesitated as to
whether to let him in: “Maman”, he said, addressing
my grandmother who was with us at the time, “Moi
Maman, beaucoup froid”, and he coughed deliberately
to emphasize the fact. In the end my mother let him
in. He came in the kitchen and stood quietly by the
stove, dressed in his large tunic buttoned at the
shoulder and covering him down to his knees. Once
he had warmed up, he bowed to thank us then went
on his way, but not before handing me a small jar of
Chesebrough vaseline, the prophylactic qualities of
which I was unaware of, and a few cigarettes that
my mother took no time at all in confiscating.”
Indians
“The unfortunate Indians...”“The unfortunate Indians...”“The unfortunate Indians...”
Photo: Alain Jacques documentary collection
Photo:ARHAMcollection

1914 18 - they came from across the globe

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