Another French medal group for the collection.

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 02-01-2018, 09:30 PM

Here is another medal group I have just added to my collection. There is nothing to say who the soldier in the picture is, but he was someone's 'hero' many years ago. And now 100 years later, it is simply cast aside and disposed of as unwanted junk by his descendants. We will never know what acts of bravery the soldier in the picture carried out to receive these awards - or if he even survived the war. I always find these small groups with the recipients picture to be a rather poignant reminder of the horrific slaughter of the great war. I am rapidly running out of room to hang more sets of medals.

Cheers,
Steve

Another French medal group for the collection.

**remss** · 02-01-2018, 09:47 PM

French flea markets are full of theses incredible WW1 medals, pictures... sold by descendants without any feelings. Makes me sad.
I hope my great grandfather, who fought in Verdun, medal and papers will stay in my family for a long long time.
Thanks to you to keep french great war memory alive.

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 02-01-2018, 09:58 PM

by remss

French flea markets are full of theses incredible WW1 medals, pictures... sold by descendants without any feelings. Makes me sad.
I hope my great grandfather, who fought in Verdun, medal and papers will stay in my family for a long long time.
Thanks to you to keep french great war memory alive.

I have to say that it is rather strange the way this collection of medals - and indeed my other WW1 French militaria has grown. I have never made a conscious effort to collect it. But back in 1969, and again in 1970, I visited the Verdun battlefields when I was a serving soldier in Germany. And what I saw there was deeply moving. Our group were supposed to be shown around the battlefield by a veteran of the fighting. He stood in a shell hole and we formed up in front of him as he began to talk, and then he just broke down and cried - he couldn't do it. Just for a few moments I was a witness to one man's suffering which had tortured him for 63 years.