CHARLES FAIR

Some Great War Sites in Paris
(16th Arrondissement)

Nearby, in the 16th, is the Place Etats-Unis which is home to the fine monument to the American volunteers who died in the service of France. A picture of it can be found on p. 525 of "American Armies and Battlefields in Europe." The front of the monument has a stone statue of an angel who is sheltering a poilu and a doughboy who are clasping hands. The monument is surmounted by a bronze of a soldier who is raising his hat as if giving "three cheers".

The reverse of the monument is inscribed with the names of many of the volunteers. The list under the Lafayette Squadron includes well known pilots such as Edmond Genet and Raoul Lufbery, the squadron's leading ace. The poet Alan Seeger (1888-1916) is one of those listed under the Foreign Legion. Quotations from Seeger's poems are carved on the sides of the monument. There is also a long list of names of volunteers of the American Field Service.

Outside the Musee d'Art Moderne (Av du President Wilson) is a Statue of France. The statue shows France, in mythical costume, watching the horizon: one hand protects her eyes while the other holds a long spear. I had a sense of deja vu at this, as it is identical to one that I had seen in the Museum at St. Cyr-Coetquidan in Brittany last year. In fact the sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle, made four identical bronzes. (There is an article on Bourdelle in "Monuments de Memoire: Monuments aux Morts de la Grande Guerre " pub 1991, MPCIH, Secretariat d'Etat aux Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre.) The plinth of the sculpture includes an inscription by the poet Charles Peguy.

In the Place 11 Novembre, outside the Trocadero, is a plinth which bears an equestrian Statue of Marshal Foch. From here, if you gaze across the Seine and though the main arch of the Eiffel Tower, you will see the Ecole de Guerre and Joffre's statue.

A few hundred yards away, at 21 rue Raynouard, is a plaque to the American Field Service. The headquarters and a hospital belonging to this volunteer ambulance unit was based in the building which used to stand on this site. The plaque recalls that nearly 2,500 wounded French soldiers were cared for on the site, and that 127 members of the AFS lost their lives for France.

Outside the Musee d'Art Moderne (Av du President Wilson) is a Statue of France. The statue shows France, in mythical costume, watching the horizon: one hand protects her eyes while the other holds a long spear.

I had a sense of deja vu at this, as it is identical to one that I had seen in the Museum at St. Cyr-Coetquidan in Brittany last year. In fact the sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle, made four identical bronzes. (There is an article on Bourdelle in "Monuments de Memoire: Monuments aux Morts de la Grande Guerre "pub 1991, MPCIH, Secretariat d'Etat aux Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre.) The plinth of the sculpture includes an inscription by the poet Charles Peguy.

From the Trocadero it is a short walk to the Musee Clemenceau at No. 8 rue Franklin. Georges Clemenceau was born in the Vendee in 1841. In November 1917 he became President du Conseil, the second highest office of the French Republic. This was his second term in this role, during which he became known as "The Tiger" and "The Father of Victory".

For 35 years, from 1895 until his death on 24 November 1929, Clemenceau lived in a modest four room apartment on the ground floor. It is now a museum and has been maintained exactly as it was when he died by the "Amis de Georges Clemenceau". I was surprised to see a portrait of 2Lt George Edward Cecil (see Villers-Cotterets article): apparently Clemenceau was a close friend of his maternal grandfather Admiral Maxse. The first floor houses displays which explain the remarkable life and achievements of this great statesman, and an archive which is available for use by researchers. (The museum is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 2 to 5 pm. Tel: (01) 45 20 53 41. Photographs may be taken with permission.)

This museum is worthwhile for all those interested in French history and politics in the 50 years preceding 1914, as well as for Great War enthusiasts. For the 20 FF admission I got a detailed one-hour tour given in fast but clear French (and was able to follow most of it). I left with the distinct impression that modern politicians are not made of the same stuff!

I learned that he had qualified as a doctor of medicine in 1865, but gave this up for a career in politics in 1869. He was elected Mayor of Monmartre in 1870 at the age of 29, and became President du Conseil for the first time from 1906 to 1909. In parallel with politics he had an accomplished career as a journalist: he created a total of five newspapers, and wrote for many others. In 1898 in his paper "L'Aurore" he published Emile Zola's famous "J'accuse" article, thus publicly breaking the Dreyfus affair. He was one of the leading "Dreyfusards", as the defenders of Captain Dreyfus were known. In his spare time, particularly after his retirement from politics, he was a classical scholar.

Two hundred yards further on, at 21 rue Raynouard, is a plaque to the American Field Service. The headquarters and a hospital belonging to this volunteer ambulance unit was based in the building which used to stand on this site. The plaque recalls that nearly 2,500 wounded Frenchsoldiers were cared for on the site, and that 127 members of the AFS lost their lives for France.

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Some Great War Sites in Paris (16th Arrondissement)

Some Great War Sites in Paris
(16th Arrondissement)