France - World War 1

Exceptional and rare family and military archival fonds spanning two generations (Argeliez, Cabrolier, and Bonin families, originating from Lodève, Le Bosc and Saint-Pargoire in Hérault), covering more than 30 years of French military history (1914-1945) across both World Wars. The set (over 500 documents in total: letters, war postcards, military extracts) has been kept in its original family box and meticulously organized by periods and levels of historical interest. 1. FIRST WORLD WAR (1914-1919): The Father, Corporal Marius (Guillaume) Argeliez (212 certified pieces + significant remainder in stockpiles) Complete trace of Guillaume, nicknamed “Marius,” Argeliez (Class of 1905, Matricule 2089), mobilized at the 281st Infantry Regiment (Out-of-Format Company - Postal Sector 57 / 58th Infantry Division) from 1914 until the regiment’s dissolution on June 19, 1918, then transferred to the 135th Infantry Regiment (3rd Company) until demobilization in Germany in March 1919. Distribution of the 14-18 corpus excerpt: Lot “14-18 PREMIUM” (34 pieces + Official Citation): Citation in the Regiment’s Order (Order No. 231 of the 135th RI - 3rd Company): Official document citing Corporal Argeliez during the Picardy offensive: “Excellent corporal. From August 9 to 11 [1918], he bravely led his squad. Contributed to silencing an enemy machine gun that hindered progress.” Air warfare / Battle of the Somme (Sept 25, 1916): Direct testimony from Montdidier: “Two days ago [...] one of our aviators shot down 5 German planes in a quarter of an hour and the artillery shot down 1” (direct echo to the famous air feat of Georges Guynemer in this same Somme sector on Sept 23, 1916). Bombing of Paris by Zeppelins (January 1916): Poignant account from a Parisian niece survivor of the deadly Zeppelin raid LZ 79: “Again this time I wasn’t killed by the Zeppelins because the bombs fell far from our home in Belleville and Ménilmontant, but unfortunately there were too many victims…” Carnage before Saint-Quentin (Sept 17, 1918): Report from a comrade wounded by shrapnel (Evreux Army Hospital No. 2): “The regiment paid a heavy toll, especially the 1st Company [...] we fought for a little while in the furnace,” with a roll of comrades killed in action (Neuville, Lasserre, ...). Battle of the Matz & Dissolution of the 281st RI (June 1918): Crayon-written cards the day after the German attack (“we had a rough day,” “I wrote twice to the squad mates [...] would they be prisoners?”) and a historical notice of the dissolution of the 281st RI on June 19, 1918. Assault troops & Trenches: Formation of elite grenadiers at the Massillan camp in Nîmes (“the bombardiers class,” Feb. 1916), bombardments by “big pots” (“like foxes in holes”), battles in Flanders at Hondschoote (“exterminate those who remain,” Jan 1916), arrival of Russian troops in France (April 1916). Lot “14-18 IMPORTANT” (37 pieces): Life in the trenches, hospitals & philately: Rations and warmth (“send me sausages, Roquefort cheese and a barrel of wine,” July 1918), military hospital seals (Temporary Hospital 37 Laval, Hospital 84 Pontchaillou Rennes with descriptions of the maimed), Saint-Lô Reform Commission for a broken spine, violet seal Military Commission Gare d’Orry-la-Ville, cross-correspondences with other units (142nd RI, 30th BCA at Annecy, 2nd Genius Company 22/1 SP 13, Train Auto TM 480). Pandemic, captivity & German occupation (1918-1919): Testimony on the Spanish Flu in Lodève (Jan 1919), return of a cousin prisoner of war in Germany (“safe and sound but a bit thin,” Feb 1919), border guard on reconquered Lorraine (Dec 1918), occupation of the Saar and the Rhine (Sulzbach, Quirnheim, departure for Koblenz in Feb 1919 on German maps) and the famine of civilians in Germany. Lot “14-18” (140 pieces): Large collection of 140 World War I postcards (military views, English artillery at Compiègne, ruins, patriotic imagery and front-line correspondence between Marius, Angèle and their mobilized relatives). 2. INTER-WAR PERIOD (1930-1935): The Daughter (Louisette Argeliez) & The Mobile Guard (1 large pile) A substantial pile of letters and cards surrounding Louisette Argeliez’s (the granddaughter of the 14-18 letters) fiancé and marriage to Jean Bonin (Gendarmerie / Mobile Republican Guard) in 1930-1931: Maintaining order during the Saint-Étienne strikes (March 1931). Tensions at the Italian border at Sospel for fear of a new war (July 1930). Details on uniform, barracks life (Lodève, Bastia 1935) and daily life in Hérault. 3. SECOND WORLD WAR (1939-1945): The Son, Brigadier-Chief Gabriel Argeliez in Tunisia (22 pieces: 17 “Premium” + 5 pieces) Follow the younger son of Marius, Gabriel Argeliez, an artilleryman in Tunisia with the 62nd African Artillery Regiment (62nd R.A.A.) at Sousse and Kairouan (Armistice Army in North Africa, 1941-1942): Pre-war reminders (April 1939): Morale crisis and recall of Munich’s reservists. Campaign & Maneuvers in Tunisia (1941-1942): 64-hour sea crossing via the Baléares, Bougie and Bizerte, horse-drawn then motorized maneuvers in the desert and Djebel Boudabous (Kairouan, Sidi El Hani), platoon of non-commissioned officers and the Cadre School near Tunis, a comrade’s telegrapher card from RICM at Camp Garnier in Rabat (Morocco, Nov 1941), Albi barracks (1941). Rations & Crossings: Sending food parcels from Tunisia to the metropolis (April 1942), waiting for convoys in Marseille and sending the last ration tickets to family before embarkation (Aug 1942). Post-war (July 1945): Gabriel’s safe return and return of prisoners from Germany. 4. TWO ADDITIONAL LARGE PILES OF THE SAME COLLECTION (1904-1960) Two very large piles of postcards and family correspondence still containing numerous World War I (1914-1918) cards sent folded (written by Marius Argeliez at the front and his cousins, including the 30th BCA in Annecy), as well as the continuation of the family archives up to the 1950s-1960s. An exceptional find still full of nuggets to discover!

Schätzpreis:€450

Alle Objekte ansehen vonCatawikioderAnsichtskarten & Briefmarken