Caron Achille (1888-1947), British Cemetery at Etaples, ceremony for the inauguration of the monument by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 14 May 1922, silver bromide in gelatin on a glass plate negative, © Musée Quentovic – Ville d’Etaples-sur-Mer
Document 1
Document 2
Michelin poster, 1920, paper, Patrimoine Historique Michelin, © Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand
The collection of the Illustrated Michelin Guides to the battlefields was published in France from 1917 onwards. It was dedicated to the memory of all the Michelin employees who died for their country.
Document 3
Cover of the Illustrated Michelin Guide to the Battlefields. Le Chemin des Dames, 1920, paper, Departmental Archives of the Aisne – mark FRAD002 8° br 414
"Such a visit is not merely a ramble through these devastated regions. Instead it is a real pilgrimage. You need to do more than just look, you need to understand; a ruin is all the more moving when you become aware of its origin. A landscape, which at first glance, may seem rather boring to the uninformed eye is changed by the memory of the battles that were fought here." Excerpt from the preamble, 1917.
- I observe
- 1. Document 1: Describe the organisation of this inaugural ceremony (diversity and number of attendees: social status, nationalities...).
- 2. Document 1: Certain groups do not appear in this photo. Which ones ?
- 3. Document 2: What do you see in the upper half of the poster? Name the regions on the map.
- 4. Document 2: What do you see in the lower half ?
- 5. Document 2: Which battle is highlighted ? How ?
- 6. Document 2: What is the nature of this document ?
- I identify
- 1° Document 1: Identify elements that show that this is a commemorative ceremony.
- 2° Document 1: Which characteristics of the cemetery explain the presence of King George V and Field Marshal Haig ?
- 3° Documents 2-3: Who published it ? For whom was it published ?
- 4° Documents 2-3: Identity information that would have been useful for users of this guide at the time.
- 5° Documents 2-3: To which extent is this document also interesting for modern-day historians ?
- I put in perspective
- 1° Document 1: Find out where Etaples is located and pinpoint it in relation to the frontline.
- 2° Document 1: How can the exceptional size of this cemetery be explained ?
- 3° Document 1: How does this cemetery allow the British to honour their dead even today?
- 4° Documents 2-3: Why did Michelin publish this collection?
- 5° Documents 2-3: In which state where the regions in these guides after the war ? Explain the tourist appeal of these regions.
- 6° Documents 2-3: Which new types of tourism do these documents refer to ?
