Marching down the boulevard
drummers and buglers take a rest
as a military band behind them plays a tune.
Keeping in step a column of soldiers follows,
led by an officer on horseback.
drummers and buglers take a rest
as a military band behind them plays a tune.
Keeping in step a column of soldiers follows,
led by an officer on horseback.
In the town square there are
more soldiers with rifles at their shoulders
standing in tight formation.
while other people come and go.
while other people come and go.
One hundred years ago
a parade like this was a common sight
in many parts of the world,
as illustrated in last week's post,
But a closer look at these two images
reveals a contradiction.
The signs on the buildings are in French.
Yet the distinctive spiked helmets
of the soldiers mark them as German.
of the soldiers mark them as German.
The explanation is that
it is wartime, 1914-1918.
it is wartime, 1914-1918.
And the town is Lille in northeast France.
about 48 miles southeast of Dunkirk
and 65 miles west of Waterloo, Belgium.
about 48 miles southeast of Dunkirk
and 65 miles west of Waterloo, Belgium.
On 13 October 1914, after a terrible 10-day siege,
the advancing Imperial Germany Army captured Lille.
It remained under strict military occupation until October 1918
when the city was liberated by British troops.
the advancing Imperial Germany Army captured Lille.
It remained under strict military occupation until October 1918
when the city was liberated by British troops.
The full postcard of the first image is captioned:
Wachtparade in Lille
or Guard Parade in Lille.
This ceremonial changing of the guard
would have been a daily event under the German occupation.
The card was posted by a German soldier
to Württemberg on 30 May 1916.
Google Streetview provides a photo taken in 2016
from nearly the same camera position in Lille, France.
where it is now called the Place de Charles de Gaulle.
Just left of center is the Hotel Bellevue
which was on the left of the column of soldiers in the postcard.
from nearly the same camera position in Lille, France.
where it is now called the Place de Charles de Gaulle.
Just left of center is the Hotel Bellevue
which was on the left of the column of soldiers in the postcard.
The second image comes from another postcard
with the same caption, Wachtparade in Lille.
It shows German soldiers assembled into two long lines.
Around them are various officers and a number of civilians.
The card was also sent by a German soldier dated 2 November 1916.
with the same caption, Wachtparade in Lille.
It shows German soldiers assembled into two long lines.
Around them are various officers and a number of civilians.
The card was also sent by a German soldier dated 2 November 1916.
The French, British, and Belgium forces
stopped the German advance into France in the fall of 1914.
But the armies quickly dug in to create a line of trenches
running roughly 440 miles from the North Sea to Switzerland.
stopped the German advance into France in the fall of 1914.
But the armies quickly dug in to create a line of trenches
running roughly 440 miles from the North Sea to Switzerland.
The town of Lille was positioned only 5-6 miles from the battle line,
so it became a headquarters for the German army.
so it became a headquarters for the German army.
This next Google Streetview shows the same plaza in Lille
from a vantage point similar to the second postcard
that faces the building that in the postcard
has an OXO sign on its roof.
This image was clipped from a panorama view of the square
which included some ghostly people floating on the pavement.
from a vantage point similar to the second postcard
that faces the building that in the postcard
has an OXO sign on its roof.
This image was clipped from a panorama view of the square
which included some ghostly people floating on the pavement.
The "Column of the Goddess" commemorates a war from an earlier century.
Is was erected in 1845 to mark the 9-day siege of Lille by the Austrians
in September 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
The monument honors the bravery of Lille's mayor and people
in successfully defending the city from the Austrian bombardment.
in September 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
The monument honors the bravery of Lille's mayor and people
in successfully defending the city from the Austrian bombardment.
In October 1914, Lille endured very heavy shelling from the Germans
which destroyed many apartments, office blocks, and houses
around the city center and railway station.
which destroyed many apartments, office blocks, and houses
around the city center and railway station.
After the city's surrender, German artists depicted
the hand to hand combat between French and German soldiers.
the hand to hand combat between French and German soldiers.
This scene of a violent fight between German and French soldiers
is entitled Schlacht bei Lille ~ Battle of Lille.
It was painted by a popular German postcard artist,
Arthur Thiele (1860–1936)
whose work I have begun to collect.
The postmark is from the German army Feldpost
and the soldier has dated his message 18.7.1915.
and the soldier has dated his message 18.7.1915.
Because of its location so close to the front lines,
Lille became important to the German army
as a command headquarters, military supply station,
and center for hospital and medical services.
Lille became important to the German army
as a command headquarters, military supply station,
and center for hospital and medical services.
It was also the German soldier's place for rest and recreation.
So a lot of postcards from Lille were sent back home to Germany.
So a lot of postcards from Lille were sent back home to Germany.
But besides guns, bombs, and tubas
the Kaiser's army brought cameras too.
the Kaiser's army brought cameras too.
Photographs of Lille during wartime
were turned into postcards.
were turned into postcards.
They were not picturesque.
***
***
***
The caption of this postcard reads:
Lille nach dem Straßenkampf.
Lille nach dem Straßenkampf.
Getallene Araberpferde
~
Lille after the street fight.
Fallen Arabian horses.
Fallen Arabian horses.
It is a grim scene of a street
littered with dead horses and rubble.
In the distance are German soldiers.
To one side is a shopkeeper with a broom.
littered with dead horses and rubble.
In the distance are German soldiers.
To one side is a shopkeeper with a broom.
The postmark from Cologne, Germany
is dated 17 June 1915.
By coincidence, Cologne or Köln,
which is 200 miles east of Lille on the other side of Belgium,
was occupied by the French from 1794 to 1814
until it was retaken by Prussian and Russian troops,
allied to defeat the army of Napoleon.
is dated 17 June 1915.
By coincidence, Cologne or Köln,
which is 200 miles east of Lille on the other side of Belgium,
was occupied by the French from 1794 to 1814
until it was retaken by Prussian and Russian troops,
allied to defeat the army of Napoleon.
***
This postcard of a destroyed city building
with several groups of French civilians and German soldiers
strolling around it was captioned in French.
Lille Le café Jean avant l'écroulement.
with several groups of French civilians and German soldiers
strolling around it was captioned in French.
Lille Le café Jean avant l'écroulement.
~
Lille Café Jean before the collapse.
Lille Café Jean before the collapse.
The publisher was Edition Maurice Dupriez of Lille.
The photo was approved by the German military censor on 12 February 1916.
It was sent by German Feldpost on 22 May 1916.
The photo was approved by the German military censor on 12 February 1916.
It was sent by German Feldpost on 22 May 1916.
***
The next postcard shows a whole city block
collapsed into broken walls and rubble.
It has a caption:
Lille Rue du Vieux Marché aux Moutons,
~
Lille The street of the old sheep market.
collapsed into broken walls and rubble.
It has a caption:
Lille Rue du Vieux Marché aux Moutons,
~
Lille The street of the old sheep market.
The publisher was the same Edition Maurice Dupriez of Lille.
The postmark dates from 7 February 1918.
Because of the Russian Revolution in 1917,
many more German soldiers were now being transferred
from the Eastern Front to the Western Front.
It was only a month later in March 1918
that the Germans would make their last major offensive drive
to break the stalemate with the British and French forces
before the arrival of American troops.
The postmark dates from 7 February 1918.
Because of the Russian Revolution in 1917,
many more German soldiers were now being transferred
from the Eastern Front to the Western Front.
It was only a month later in March 1918
that the Germans would make their last major offensive drive
to break the stalemate with the British and French forces
before the arrival of American troops.
***
Evidently the destruction of the city of Lille
was recorded by both French and German photographers.
While postal communication between Lille and France
was halted during the occupation,
the new demand by German troops for postcards to send home
offered a small business for enterprising Lille publishers.
Clearly these wartime postcards,
produced during a time when photo journalism was very restricted,
were intended as propaganda for the German public.
But these views of Lille's devastation
was recorded by both French and German photographers.
While postal communication between Lille and France
was halted during the occupation,
the new demand by German troops for postcards to send home
offered a small business for enterprising Lille publishers.
Clearly these wartime postcards,
produced during a time when photo journalism was very restricted,
were intended as propaganda for the German public.
But these views of Lille's devastation
must been unsettling for many German people
who were far removed from any direct harm of the war.
who were far removed from any direct harm of the war.
And at the conclusion of the war,
in a curious flip of purpose,
these photos of Lille from 1914-1918
continued to be published as a kind of peacetime propaganda
directed at the citizens of France.
in a curious flip of purpose,
these photos of Lille from 1914-1918
continued to be published as a kind of peacetime propaganda
directed at the citizens of France.
***
***
***
***
This postcard shows a view of Lille's cathedral
and a block of destroyed buildings.
It is captioned
Ruines de la Grande Guerre 1914-1918
Lille – Rue de Paris - E. C.
and a block of destroyed buildings.
It is captioned
Ruines de la Grande Guerre 1914-1918
Lille – Rue de Paris - E. C.
It has a French military postmark, I believe,
from 9 July 1919
from 9 July 1919
***
The next postcard showing similar destruction
was captioned in both French and English.
Lille – Ensemble des Ruines, Rue de Béthune
View of the ruins in Béthune Steet.
was captioned in both French and English.
Lille – Ensemble des Ruines, Rue de Béthune
View of the ruins in Béthune Steet.
The message with just scrawled initials
was sent to Paris on 20 April 1919.
was sent to Paris on 20 April 1919.
***
The next postcard is of the same Rue de Béthune in Lille,
perhaps from a reverse angle, showing a line of workers
perhaps from a reverse angle, showing a line of workers
digging in the rubble of a block of destroyed buildings.
There is no postmark but the message
is dated 1 June 1921.
is dated 1 June 1921.
***
The last postcard image takes back to another view
of the Rue du Vieux Marché aux Moutons in Lille.
of the Rue du Vieux Marché aux Moutons in Lille.
A few men pull handcarts opposite large heaps of rubble.
The caption explains that the ruins were caused
by the German bombardment in 1914.
by the German bombardment in 1914.
There is no postmark,
but the long message in French
ends with an obscured date
that I think reads 1924.
but the long message in French
ends with an obscured date
that I think reads 1924.
***
The Great War of 1914-1918
was a colossal tragedy for all of humanity.
Beyond the destruction and German occupation of their city,
was a colossal tragedy for all of humanity.
Beyond the destruction and German occupation of their city,
the people of Lille suffered terrible brutalities and privations
that I can not begin to describe in this post.
that I can not begin to describe in this post.
Instead I wanted to focus on how the wartime images of Lille
were preserved in both German and French postcards.
We can imagine the emotions stirred by these images of havoc.
Triumph, pride, sadness, anxiety, anger, even hatred.
But clearly if the purpose of these postcards
was to remind people, "Never Again",
it did not work.
On 31 May 1940
after another violent siege,
a German army occupied Lille once more.
I have not found any postcards
of marching bands in Lille from this war.
were preserved in both German and French postcards.
We can imagine the emotions stirred by these images of havoc.
Triumph, pride, sadness, anxiety, anger, even hatred.
But clearly if the purpose of these postcards
was to remind people, "Never Again",
it did not work.
On 31 May 1940
after another violent siege,
a German army occupied Lille once more.
I have not found any postcards
of marching bands in Lille from this war.
In our time we are inundated daily
by countless ghastly images and horrific videos
that seem to overwhelm our senses
and suppress our ability to empathize
with the victims of war and conflict.
by countless ghastly images and horrific videos
that seem to overwhelm our senses
and suppress our ability to empathize
with the victims of war and conflict.
When we see the destruction
recorded on these faded postcards from a century ago,
we can't help but remember the atrocities that will follow.
The bombings of London, Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Then Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq,
and many other places too numerous to count.
The arc of history does not begin in 1914 nor end in 2020.
Instead it is a kind of spiral
that lets us see distant reflections of ourselves
as we go past, round and around again.
recorded on these faded postcards from a century ago,
we can't help but remember the atrocities that will follow.
The bombings of London, Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Then Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq,
and many other places too numerous to count.
The arc of history does not begin in 1914 nor end in 2020.
Instead it is a kind of spiral
that lets us see distant reflections of ourselves
as we go past, round and around again.
This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
Click the link for more restful photos.
Click the link for more restful photos.
4 comments:
I'm very sad seeing all the destruction of war. Yet I see people were walking around, and perhaps beginning to cart off the bricks that had fallen to the ground. Hope continued even then.
A very impressive and moving collection of postcards on men marching to war and the destruction, death and havoc that resulted. But I wonder how many of those men marching off were ever to return. I was particularly interested in your images of Lille as I have visited the city.
Seeing all the awful destruction caused by war reminds me of an old original "Star Trek" episode wherein the people of two planets at war decide the mass destruction of property caused by war is unpalatable. Therefore, they decide to 'fight' their ongoing war in a 'civilized' manner using computers that simply orchestrate 'hits' in certain areas. The people caught in those areas then calmly walk into a machine to be mercifully eliminated, thereby preserving the buildings and architecture of the 'hit' area. Unfortunately some of the "Star Trek" folks are caught in the area of a 'hit' while they're visiting the planet. They refuse to walk into the elimination machine (of course), and wind up destroying the computers 'fighting' the war so the people will actually have to suffer the real horrors of war hopefully encouraging them to end their war.
What an amazing collection of postcards, and such a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. Once again you have shown postcards to be much more than souvenirs or enticements to travel. Propaganda - who knew?
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