La Ferte-sous-Jouarre

[Hedley Malloch]

I will be visiting La Ferte-sous-Jouarre in the next three weeks or so. If anyone wants any photos of names on the BEF memorial please drop me an email. I may have time to visit other cemeteries in the region, but I cannot promise.

Hedley Malloch

[paul guthrie]

Hedley I do not have maps with me but it's not too far from Mondement one of the top visits. There is no more important 1st marne site than this, it's behind St Gond Marshes which are lovely. Germans crossed and French, Foch I think, hit them here, stopped them betweed Chateau which they took and church maybe 300 meters away which they did not. The French had no reserves behind them here.

Their primary Marne monument is there where they won the victory between buildings. It has to be seen to be believed, it's over 35 meters high, weighs 33 tons and is a monolith of sort of pink concrete. There is a wealth of information on it, order of battle,, commanders along the whole front including Haig and French and speaking of French you speak and read it so great!

It has a web site, address is so long I would never get it right. Also Charles Fair discusses it on Tom Morgan's site, quite good discussion. Hellfire Corner. Take a look and have a really good trip. One could spend a lot of time on 1st Marne.

For a wonderful account by an American who found herself in the middle of the battle try A Hilltop On The Marne Mildred Aldrich, brilliant, cannot recommend this too highly. Her house was and is in tiny village of Huiry, so small no mairie or church. There's a picture of the house in the book and if you go to the village you can find it. Great visit also!