Embedded Files
News papers are an incredible view into the past. These selected articles, images, and advertisements provide a special look into WWI with an emphasis on the connection between Virginia and France.
Scroll through the news papers provided and then find them on the home page map for a deeper analysis.
La recherche des disparus
La recherche des disparus
The document we have chosen is the front page of a newspaper called “La recherche des disparus” (finding people who have gone missing). This newspaper was published between 1915 and 1917 in order to find soldiers their military unit could not trace. This project was initiated by Jean-Michel Gilot. On the picture, there are some soldiers. There is also an article aimed at nurses to encourage them to share the identity of the wounded they have taken care of and to help identify fallen soldiers.
This newspaper was essential during the war. Indeed, thanks to what was published some families could find their husbands, their grandfathers, their sons or their cousins… At first sight, it may look like an ordinary newspaper but in fact thanks to these newspapers some families could be reunited with a family member. So, it played an important role that is why we have chosen it. However, there is no denying it must have been really hard, awful and depressing to work for such a newspaper because every day they dealt with the huge number of missing people. So, we have chosen it to shed light on this particular aspect of the war, families looking for their missing loved ones, struggling to understand how their loved ones could simply disappear. Even though the news was rarely good, it was important for families to know what had happened to their missing son, brother or husband.
Text to left by Lycée Margueritte Students Verdun, France
Text to right by Lycée Margueritte Students Verdun, France
L’Écho de l’Argonne
L’Écho de l’Argonne
The document is an excerpt from a newspaper called “L’Écho de l’Argonne”: the best informed in the whole region” and it was published on November 4, 1914. The first newspaper of this series was born on October 26, 1914. "L'Écho de l'argonne" was published in the Argonne, in the North-East of France, near Verdun. Its format was 15x21cm and was typed on an old-fashioned typewriter. It is part of a collection of documents on the First World War we can find at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF). This war journal, like many others, written by soldiers in the trenches, was intended to entertain their comrades.
"L'Écho de l'Argonne" played a vital role on the front lines. Indeed, it made up for the lack of reliable news and helped, with humor, to overcome boredom and sometimes despair.
This newspaper, called "Le petit journal du coin"; is made up of two texts written by a soldier from the Argonne sent to the North. The first one gives us the latest news on the war in the North. We learn that at Nieuport-Dixmude, the German offensive had been limited by French troops. Indeed, France won these battles against Germany. In addition, it is reported that the British navy had shot many Germans. In Quesnoy-en-Santerre, the French had managed to seize many weapons from the Germans and also made 100 people from the opposing troops prisoners.
France could also boast the deaths of 7683 German soldiers. The siege of Lille took place on 11 and 12 October 1914 after a period of confusion. The capture of the city by the German army followed an intense artillery bombardment that destroyed part of the central districts. Then the French took over a village near Lille by force. Finally, the soldier informs us about the advance of the Austro-German troops; they have accumulated defeats against France. It is therefore concluded that the French army is advancing on the territory. "Ça va! Ça va!" is a sign of hope for the French troops.
The second is an ironic text about the Emperor of Germany who has lost his son-in-law, the Duke of Brunswick. The editor asks the French, compared to "tourists" to inform the newspaper office if the young man has been seen or found. To conclude, in this newspaper excerpt, the author does not convey any emotion, the aim being to write a simple report on the progress of the war in the North.
We chose this newspaper because, first of all, it affects us directly; We live close to the Argonne. Moreover, as it was written in the trenches, "L'Écho de l'Argonne" shows us a direct vision of what the soldiers perceived.
As a conclusion, we will say that if we decided to study this war journal, it's because it reflects the state of mind of the soldier, but more generally of all soldiers, at the beginning of the First World War, who were unfortunately not yet aware that they would be in for four years.
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