***Antonio Wednesday’s Wonders ***
Flying over Verdun. Charles Guilhaumon
For my Birthday today, I am doing something different and I am about to change sides. I will be talking about a concession given to a French Pilot, later Politician, called Charles Guilhaumon (1876-1950). To be honest, I enjoyed a lot writing about him. It landed in my collection as present from a friend of mine, thank you JORDI.
This Document is the concession of the French Legion of Honour in the grade of Knight. Without any doubt, it is the most famous French decoration. Once of my objectives is to get one Legion of Honour and a “Croix de Guerre” and make a small group with a frame for it. Please see images of both of them attached.
Charles was born in 1876 in Puisserguier in Hérault, in the South of France, around 90 Kilometres west from Montpellier. He made his military service between 1897 and 1899, finishing as Administration Officer. After this time, he went to the University to obtain his title of Doctor in Law, Politics and Economics, to work later as a lawyer in the Court of Appeal in Paris.
When the war started, he was called as an officer in the Reserve and served in the Evacuation Hospital Number 5. In March 1915, he volunteered for aviation and joined the Pilot School in Chartres. He was already 39.
After much sacrifices, he obtained his Pilot license in December of that year and was later transferred to the Squadron MF33, which was created in October 1914 and was attached to different Armies, depending on the war needs. During the first months of the Battle of Verdun, the MF33 was used in the right bank of the Meuse, in the area of “Avocourt – Hill 304 – Le Mort-Homme”. Their Symbol was a red Gallian Axe.
Captain Charles Guilhaumon was assigned to reconnaissance. In this moment, they flew the Maurice Farman S.11. But in April 1916, they were replaced by the much better Farman F.40.
During his service, he was twice mentioned in the Order of the Army. He was also awarded with the War Cross (Croix de Guerre), as explained before. This means, that he had two palms added to the cross, and I am pretty sure, he had also a silver star or gold star, meaning, that he was mentioned at the Division or Corps level (two steps and one step lower as the Army level).
Charles served in that Squadron almost during the whole battle of Verdun, so, for sure, he “met” a few of the German Soldiers, I talked about in previous articles. He received a citation in the Aeronautic Orden: “Excellent pilot of with courage and tireless activity, he managed to survive many times to the attack of enemy planes”.
During one his flights, on the 26th of October 1916, well after the French regained the ownership of the Verdun Skies, the Farman F.40 of Captain Guilhaumon and his Lieutenant Paul Rouch was shot down by a German fighter, probably the Albatros D.III from Lieutenant Roland Nauck from the Jasta 6. Roland was killed in action in St. Quentin on the 8th of April 1917 (Albatros Number 2234/16).
Back to “my” French Pilot, Charles and Paul managed to land the damaged plane, but they were taken prisoner. The Germans also captured the plane. There is also a photograph of many German soldiers posing with it. You can clearly see the symbol of the Squadron in the Farman F.40.
For this action, Charles received the first citation (Palm) of his “Croix de Guerre”.
On the 22nd of June, Captain Charles Guilhaumon was awarded with the French Legion of Honour in the grade of Knight and received a citation directly by “the Hero of Verdun”, Marshal Petain.
After the war, Charles entered in politics with affiliations in the socialists party, the radicals and later in the left independents.
I will complete a nice frame in his honour. For sure, there will be more Entente Soldiers to land in my collection.