|
History
 The
Manoir de Maffrecourt or Manor House of Maffrecourt was built in 1830, which
was in the reign of French King Charles X, but we're sure you knew that
already!
At the time it was known locally as Chateau de Maffrecourt
and indeed some of the older locals in the village still call it by this name.
The Manoir is located directly opposite the village church and in
1850 some of the vines that grow around the property were planted by local
monks, who at the time lived in the village.
During WW2 the house was
occupied by German forces. To run their telephone and communications equipment
cabling around the ground floor of the house they cut notches out of the doors,
to save drilling holes in the walls. The notches are still present today.
In The garden is a secret tunnel which ran under many of the building in
the village and was also used during the war to hide English airmen.
History of the American Field
Service in France
"FRIENDS OF FRANCE", 1914-1917,
TOLD BY ITS MEMBERS
SECTION THIRTEEN left Paris on March
4, 1917, twenty strong, each man in his car, with Bertwal C. Read, formerly of
Section Eight, as our Chef. Two days later, we arrived at
Châlons and pulled up in the square. Leaving our cars at one of the
regimental parks, we hurried to a hot dinner arranged for us by our French
Lieutenant, Pierre Emmanuel Rodocanachi, at the Hôtel de la
Haute-Mère Dieu. It was a godsend to cold and uncomfortable novices
at arnbulancing such as we were, and our spirits soared, when, in addition, it
was announced that we were attached to the 169th Division of the French Army,
which would leave the next day for the front. This, in fact, happened, and we
reached Sainte-Ménehould at about six o'clock, where we learned that our
billet was in a small town called Maffrecourt, about ten
kilometres distant, to which we continued. Here for the first time the members
of the Section heard the guns at the front. No sooner had we arrived than a
call came in, and Sidney Colford, with a brancardier, went up to
answer it. Thus, some sixty hours after leaving rue Raynouard, we carried our
first blessés.
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/memoir/AFShist/AFS2b.htm
UNE MUSIQUE MILITAIRE AMERICAINE EN
CHAMPAGNE
In French -Nos
ordres étaient de rester pour la nuit, et de retourner à
Maffercourt ( Maffrecourt ), notre quartier général, le
lendemain, 5 juillet. Pendant toute la nuit, nous pouvions entendre les bruits
de pieds, et les roulements des camions, les grondements sourds de l'artillerie
lourde et le claquement des fusils, et le matin suivant, en parcourant la route
nous ramenant vers le front, nous pouvions voir les tanks et les canons,
camouflés derrière les collines Sous un bosquet d'arbres, un
centre de communications avait été installé. Nous
atteignîmes l'endroit où il fallait quitter le train pour monter
dans des camions qui nous firent parcourir les cinq miles nous séparant
encore de notre refuge. Tout le long du chemin, nous croisions de l'artillerie
lourde, et il nous semblait qu'en une nuit, l'endroit avait été
transformé en position d'artillerie.
En arrivant au quartier
général à Maffrecourt, on nous ordonna de rester dans les
camions car l'orchestre et la compagnie de soutien devaient reculer de cinq
miles, pratiquement dans le village de Giesecourt ( Gizaucourt ), où
nous avions quitté le train, et où se trouvait l'hôpital
où avait été le Lieutenant Europe. Le Colonel et son
état major se déplaçaient en avant de un mile vers un
centre de commandement appelé " La ferme ", et nous attendions une vaste
offensive allemande dans ce secteur qui avait été tranquille
précédemment.
In English - Our orders were to remain for
the night, and to return to Maffercourt (Maffrecourt), our headquarters, the
following day, July 5. During all the night, we could hear the noises of feet,
and the bearings of the trucks, the deaf grondements of heavy artillery and the
slapping of rifles, and the next morning, by traversing the road bringing back
for us towards the face, we could see the tanks and the guns, camouflaged
behind the hills Under a thicket of trees, a center of communications had been
installed. We reached the place where it was necessary to leave the train to
get into trucks which made us traverse the five miles still separating us from
our refuge. All along the way, we crossed heavy artillery, and it seemed to us
that into one night, the place had been transformed into artillery position.
While arriving at the headquarters at Maffrecourt, one ordered to us to remain
in the trucks because the orchestra and the company of support were to move
back of five miles, practically in the village of Giesecourt (Gizaucourt),
where we had left the train, and where the hospital was where had been
Lieutenant Europe. The Colonel and his state major moved in front of one mile
towards a center of command called "the farm", and we awaited a vast German
offensive in this sector which had been quiet previously.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/champagne1418/association/Associ/Bulletin_asmac_US.htm
Le 12 août
1915, le 3°RAC allait, par voie de terre de COURTISOLS à
MAFFRECOURT. Il devait préparer l'attaque de Champagne. Les deux groupes
occupèrent, le 15 août, la position avoisinant VALMY, dans le
voisinage du 1°groupe, et construisirent des positions de batterie pendant
qu'ils étudiaient le terrain.Le 1° septembre, l'artillerie de corps
était mise à la disposition de la 2°DIC, à l'exception
de la batterie d'artillerie de tranchée qui restait à la
33°DIC et préparait ses emplacements à l'ouvrage PRUNEAU.Du
1° au 15 septembre, sans tenir le secteur, les deux groupes
préparait leur entrée en action:Le 2°groupe (JACQUIN)
s'installait dans le ravin en dents de scie à l'ouest de la côte
181 (sud-est de VIRGINY);
http://www.rama3.terre.defense.gouv.fr/01_decouverte/011_batailles_champagne.html |
Share
Designed &
Hosted by Easy-Pc.biz
News New 
