Posted by Alan Hakim on August 21, 2007 at 10:56:49 from 213.166.17.13 user awhakim.
In Lille, in Northern France, last week I found a magnificent war memorial to the carrier pigeons of World War 1 and their keepers.
On the front was a large dedication: AU PIGEON VOYAGEUR ("to the carrier pigeon"). Above it was an obelisk with a sculpture of a mourning figure on the front, and on the sides were carved battle honours:
Champagne
La Somme
L'Aisne
Flandres
La Marne
Orient
Maroc
Syrie
La Mer ("At sea")
and Verdun, listing nine separate engagements in the battle.
On the sides of the lower memorial were these inscriptions:
"To the pigeon-fanciers ('Colombophiles') who died for France, shot by the enemy for having kept carrier pigeons" and:
"This monument was erected in 1936 by the National Federation of Pigeon Fanciers' Societies of France, founded by M. Leroy-Beague, M. Louis Pallicz now President-General."
Note the date. AR was writing PP in 1935, when the monument would have been in preparation. Did it get mentioned in the British press, or is this coincidence?
[I would put in a picture, but I can't find a way of including images, other than the link below to URLs - and of course my photos aren't on the net. Can anyone help please? For that matter, where are Ian's instructions on posting to the Tarboard?]