Ninety one years ago …
About Me, History November 10th, 2009
The picture above was taken over ninety-one years ago in Nîmes, France. My grandfather, Charles Cormier (centre born 25/09/1884) was recovering from several injuries suffered at the front when he wrote this postcard on February 8th 1918 to his uncle living in Miquelon Island.
Charles Cormier went to war in February of 1915 with 348 of his compatriots from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. These men boarded the ocean liner Chicago on route to France from New York when moored in Saint-Pierre harbor.
Once in France, Charles Cormier and many of his compatriots from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon was sent to the Front as a soldier of the 33rd colonial regiment (Battle of Champagne 1915, Battle of the Somme 1916). Promoted corporal, he was severely wounded to the leg by a shell, suffered from poison gas attacks and contracted malaria while part of the Allied expeditionary force landed at Thessaloniki, a base of operations against Bulgaria. I never knew him: he lived to age 64, some 21 years before my birth year.
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November 22nd, 2009 at 1:49 am
Very nice personal history. I greatly appreciate your remembering your family and all that they have done. Congratulations and, please, keep fighting.
November 29th, 2009 at 6:08 am
My father was in Thessaloniki too ! He might have met yours…
November 30th, 2009 at 4:09 am
The History Channel ran its version of the Battle of New Orleans and there wasn’t a mention of Jean Lafitte or the cajuns who fought there and were highly regarded by General Jackson. Not only are the French villified at every opportunity by the media, but the defrenchification of history seems to be ongoing and has been for some time. NOt only did Jean Lafitte play an important role in the battle but General Jackson often deferred to him in military matters in war councils. The powers that be in the media could easily squelch the likes of Stern, Leno, Miller, etc., but this seems to be the way they want things to go. In this age of political correctness in which all minorities are protected, it is important that there is one group that can be insulted, attacked, etc. ‘nuf said. Pete