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Headstone of Private A.C. Thomas of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval, France. Thomas died July 20, 1916, aged 23. © 2014 John M. Shea
A French Nieuport fighter plane in flight, possibly a Nieuport 17, but possibly another model up to the Nieuport 27, with machine guns both above the upper wing, and along the fuselage.The V struts, machine gun mounted above the upper wing, circular cowling, upward sweep of the tail, the tail itself, all mark the plane as a Nieuport.
Grand Harbour in Malta, a British possession that initially served as a base for French as well as British ships. At the Malta conference, March 2 to 9, 1916, the French agreed move their base. They first went to Argostoli in Cephalonia, then to Corfu. In the message, the writer notes that they are no longer in Malta, but in Corfu, and that the enemy submarines are rather numerous.
French folding postcard map of Verdun and the Meuse River, number 9 from the series Les Cartes du Front. Montfaucon is in the upper left and St. Mihiel at the bottom.
Chosen Boy, a 1918 watercolor by Paul Klee. From Paul Klee: Early and Late Years: 1894-1940. © 2013 Moeller Fine Art
"March 1st, St. David's Day.—We awoke to St. David's Day 1916 in Montmorency Barracks, Béthune. The Bugles sounded Long Réveillé, the Drums played 'Old Mother Riley' and, after Salute, marched round the Barrack Square, and through the adjoining streets where the officers were billeted, to the air of 'The Staffordshire Knot.' Yates had a leek for everyone's cap, and the Drums had gilded each officer's leek—a compliment and an investment. . . . The inhabitants of the town saw that there was something unusual in the day, so rows of civilians and others lined the streets when we marched out to Le Quesnoy, headed by the Drums as far as Beuvry. . . ." ((1), more)
"Flying relentlessly in search of new prey, Navarre soon acquired an additional sobriquet 'la Sentinelle de Verdun.' Ever the individualist—with more than a soupçon of ego—he advertised his presence to the poilus he supported by painting the fuselage of one of his Nieuport 11s red and that of another, N576, in blue, white, and red bands like the French flag. On March 2, he brought another Albatros down between Fleury and Fort Douaumont, where its wounded occupants were taken prisoner." ((2), more)
"The Malta conference, 2-9 March 1916, covered a wide range of questions. . . . The most important decisions of the conference naturally concerned the antisubmarine war . . . The British also assumed control of most of the Aegean, including the island of Crete. . . . The French commander in chief and the French fleet also shifted their base from Malta, which was now becoming too crowded and was in the midst of the British zone. The French went first to Argostoli in Cephalonia where they would be better situated to intercept the Austrian fleet. They subsequently moved to Corfu . . ." ((3), more)
"1916965. A fateful year. At the end of January, Louis Moilliet's wife died while giving birth to a son, her first child. On March 4th my friend Franz Marc fell at Verdun. On March 11th I was drafted at the age of thirty-five." ((4), more)
"March 5th [1916].—A splinter of a 5.9 shell fired at our 6-inch battery killed a lark on the wing. German planes came over in the morning to see what yesterday's tell-tale snow and frost would reveal, and saw the guns that have been in one position for fifteen months. Now they are moving, and our billets will be the quieter." ((5), more)
(1) Entries from the writings — diaries, letters, and memoirs — of Captain J.C. Dunn, Medical Officer of the Second Battalion His Majesty's Twenty-Third Foot, The Royal Welch Fusiliers and dozens of his comrades. St. David, who died March 1, 589, is the patron saint of Wales. Before a battle against the English, he advised the Welsh to wear leeks for ready identification.
The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919 by Captain J.C. Dunn, page 183, copyright © The Royal Welch Fusiliers 1987, publisher: Abacus (Little, Brown and Company, UK), publication date: 1994
(2) Jean Navarre was an early French Ace — a pilot with five or more victories. That on March 2nd was his sixth. The Battle of Verdun had begun on February 21. After twelve confirmed victories, Navarre was shot down on June 17, 1916, suffering severe head injuries that prevented him from flying in combat again.
The Origin of the Fighter Aircraft by Jon Gutman, page 44, copyright © 2009 Jon Gutman, publisher: Westholme Publishing, publication date: 2009
(3) On December 3, 1915, the Allies had agreed to divide the Mediterranean Sea into eighteen zones, ten French, four British, and four Italian. At the Malta conference in March, they reduced these to eleven. Because the Allies had insufficient warships to escort all shipping, escorts were confined to secret defined routes between two points.
A Naval History of World War I by Paul G. Halpern, pp. 386, 387, copyright © 1994 by the United States Naval Institute, publisher: UCL Press, publication date: 1994
(4) Excerpt from the diary of the Swiss-German painter Paul Klee. Louis Moilliet was a Swiss painter and stained glass artist. Franz Marc was a leading figure in Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group of primarily Russian and German artists. Horses were one of Marc's most frequent subjects. In his Complete History, Martin Gilbert quotes one of Marc's last letters: 'The poor horses!' In one day at Verdun, 7,000 horses were killed.
The Diaries of Paul Klee 1898-1918, Edited, with an Introduction by Felix Klee by Paul Klee, page 323, copyright © 1964 by the Regents of the University of California, publisher: University of California Press, publication date: 1968
(5) Entry for March 5, 1916 from the writings — diaries, letters, and memoirs — of Captain J.C. Dunn, Medical Officer of the Second Battalion His Majesty's Twenty-Third Foot, The Royal Welch Fusiliers and dozens of his comrades. Soldiers' writings are replete with observations of the natural world, not only that which usually made it difficult or miserable, like rain and mud, or snow and cold, but also it unalloyed beauty. In Boston, September 11, 2001, began as an exceptionally beautiful day.
The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919 by Captain J.C. Dunn, page 184, copyright © The Royal Welch Fusiliers 1987, publisher: Abacus (Little, Brown and Company, UK), publication date: 1994
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