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Remembered Today:

Somewhere in France: postcards


JMB1943

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These three post cards were all sent from my grandfather on the same day (post marked 29 June 1915) to his family in England.

Can anyone identify the locales?

The fourth picture shows the Army censor stamp and the printed name "J. Dugnolle", either photographer or maker of the cards.

Regards,

JMBIMG_3411.JPG.e3ef7cd1e0ff942cc9b3b0a21e1c40c3.JPGIMG_3413.JPG.be1bb4447cd88030f9ffb906ebdd2362.JPGIMG_3412.JPG.f7f6e8e85e7834ddebeff1ae8ec2c8fd.JPGIMG_3414.JPG.c20b5b2eb3edd8cf6f6cf4251f1e3614.JPG

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Could that first one be Chebourg- pont glissant, l'Arsenal. 

The second looks like St Nazaire. Le grand dolmen trilithe. 

Charlie

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Monet painted a "Lion Rock" off the coast of Brittany, so the third postcard could be it, but Monet had "artistic licence" instead of a camera...

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The Monet painting is called "The Lion Rock" at Port-Coton on Belle-Isle, off the coast of Brittany near Quiberon.

Martin

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Gentlemen,

You are wizards!

I know from the War Diary that my g’father’s battalion was never in Brittany, so the next puzzle is where was Army Censor No. 898 located.

Is anybody aware of any information source, or research on the Army Censors?

Regards,

JMB

As an aside, the PC’s are in relatively good condition without creases , so I suspect were not carried loose in a pocket or haversack.

They measure essentially 5.5 x 3.25 inches; would that fit inside the pay book ?

 

 

Edited by JMB1943
typo
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3 hours ago, JMB1943 said:

s anybody aware of any information source, or research on the Army Censors

I believe the censor signed near the stamp. So J Dugnolle is not a photographer but a Censor.

There is a John Henry Dugnolle, b 1877, from Brighton,  a sergeant in the R Sussex Regt in 1911 census, service noL/4634, who was commissioned 2Lt in 1915 and would look a good fit? He was killed 25/9/15 with 2nd RSR. 

Charlie

 

Edited by charlie962
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Charlie,

Are you psychic??

My g’father was in 2nd Bn Royal Sussex Regiment!!!

Wizard just about says it.

Regards,

JMB
 

 

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1 minute ago, JMB1943 said:

Are you psychic??

I knew you were going to ask that question! 

Dugnolle had only just been commissioned from Colour Sergt in May 1915.

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5 hours ago, JMB1943 said:

my g’father’s battalion was never in Brittany

But when we buy postcards we look for the ones with "nice" views.  Perhaps your g'father did the same?

Or, as a coastal view, might he have gone there on leave?

Just speculating...

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2 hours ago, charlie962 said:

CWGC unusually has Dugnolle noted as C Company when he died. Was your gf probably in that company?

Charlie,

Have we discussed this previously???

Do you believe in previous lives???

G’father was indeed in C Company!!!

This is getting a little…….what is the word…..weird?

Oh, I get it….your name is Charlie, as was my g’father and my father……

Regards,

JMB

1 hour ago, Interested said:

 

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1 hour ago, Interested said:

But when we buy postcards we look for the ones with "nice" views.  Perhaps your g'father did the same?

Or, as a coastal view, might he have gone there on leave?

Just speculating...

Interested,

You are right, it is worth speculating but unfortunately we’ll never know for sure.

I don’t know if he went to Brittany on leave, I suspect not as he had a wife, daughter and son at home on the south coast in England

2 RSR disembarked in Havre in August 1914, so I assumed that g’father also landed there as a reinforcement in Jan. 1915.

Regards,

JMB

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1 hour ago, JMB1943 said:

Interested,

You are right, it is worth speculating but unfortunately we’ll never know for sure.

I don’t know if he went to Brittany on leave, I suspect not as he had a wife, daughter and son at home on the south coast in England

2 RSR disembarked in Havre in August 1914, so I assumed that g’father also landed there as a reinforcement in Jan. 1915.

Regards,

JMB

Hi, the coast scene is definitely Saint - Nazaire.... here is another period post card. 

regards Gunner. 

32D56491-CC64-4842-969C-2ED0BF7AF29E.jpeg

Edited by Gunner 87
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Hello Gunner,

Thank you for posting that confirmation of St. Nazaire.

I wonder if that Lion Rock has changed much, or indeed is still there, 100 years later.

Regards,

JMB

 

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7 minutes ago, JMB1943 said:

Hello Gunner,

Thank you for posting that confirmation of St. Nazaire.

I wonder if that Lion Rock has changed much, or indeed is still there, 100 years later.

Regards,

JMB

 

Apparently erosion has taken its toll and it no longer looks like a lion.. this is how it looks now. :)

D11F7887-E427-4CD5-81AD-FED815382244.jpeg

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Gunner,

Yes, not recognizable as the Lion Rock anymore!

Thanks for showing it.

Regards,

JMB

Edited by JMB1943
typo
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Just to make the full set, looks like the bridge/port scene is also St Nazaire.

TEW

del.jpg.e99751c3adb1f82cc06d61f6bcee7414.jpg

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15 minutes ago, TEW said:

Just to make the full set, looks like the bridge/port scene is also St Nazaire

Yes, it is that further bridge that matches that in original pc. And it makes more sense.

I thought this website had a helpful overview on censor stamps: 

"The Army Postal Service – Censor’s Stamps | With the British Army in Flanders & France" http://thebignote.com/2021/05/08/the-army-postal-service-censors-stamps/

Charlie

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Hello TEW & Charlie,

Thank you for posting that confirmation of the port of St. Nazaire and completing the set.

&

Thank you for the army censors information, and a website that is new to me.

Regards,

JMB

 

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