1914-1918 in the "Bois de la Gruerie"

This database lists some of the soldiers who died during the battles which took place in the "Bois de la Gruerie" (near Vienne-le-Château, in Marne and Meuse) during the first world war. The list is not complete, of course, because I have not traced all those soldiers : if you can give me some informations, please feel free to contact me. (The list is a pdf document in French - sorry - and it opens in a new window when you click on the link)

Discovering the Gruerie monument near Vienne-le-Château, paying homage to the 10 000 fallen soldiers, without a name on it, incited me to begin this unfinished work.

In memory of my mother's father – Gaston NOËL, fallen in 1914 in this place -
and of all those dead ones, many thousands without a tomb with their name on it,
not identified or not found after the battle.

"Mais où sont les amours
Que la grande guerre a fauchés
Jetant les fusils lourds
Dans les flaques de boue et les barbelés
Où sont les noms des camarades
Ouverts en deux par les grenades
Qui demain les reconnaîtra
Sur ces bouts de bois taillés en croix

Même les poètes tu vois font la guerre
Moi je suis le soldat Apollinaire"

Guillaume Kotrowitzky called Apollinaire died on 09/11/1918 from sequels of his wounds.

Photos A.Girod

Thanks to : Jacques FOURÉ, Alain GIROD, Sébastien HAGUETTE, Jacques SEYNAEVE, and all these persons who contacted me privately and sent me informations.

http://memorialgenweb.org/

http://ftbo.pagesperso-orange.fr/genemil/

http://seynaeve.pagesperso-orange.fr/

The Gruerie monument and the tombs just after the war

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