Haraucourt during WW1, 100 years ago

After reading your comments, I have put a picture of Haraucourt taken in August 2014 under this article, so you can compare 1914 and 2014.

Yesterday, on the 1st of August 2014, the bells of Haraucourt church started ringing at 4pm. It lasted three minutes, three minutes to commemorate the general mobilization in France, the order was issued on the 1st of August 1914. Men had to leave their homes in the following days leaving women and children, letting them and old people finish the work with crops in the fields.

Haraucourt was not far from the east part of France occupied by Germany since 1871, so not far from the front line. In September 1914, French and German soldiers fought in the Grand Couronné area. Haraucourt received a lot of shells which destroyed plenty of houses, the church and the castle.

So, yesterday was a day to remember, a day to say it should never happen again, a day to think about all the lives lost in this first World War. A lot of places will organize events in the coming months to show people how inhabitants survived, how difficult their life was, how awful the life of soldiers was. It happened 100 years ago, so far away from us and so near at the same time.

In 2014 : Haraucourt has not changed a lot. For years the part near the church where shops were destroyed in 1914 has stayed empty. There were only gardens there. About twenty years ago, one house was built, and another one this year. The other side of the church has become the place of the wars memorial which was built in 1924.

The left part of the picture has been rebuilt quite quickly, sometimes with smaller houses. And the street has been kept as wide as before WW1.

Comments

[kay Lamb]

I would like to see a picture from now of the same area that this war picture shows

[Maryse]

I'll take one in the coming days and will put it at the end of the article.

[kay Lamb]

I really can't think of France with out thinking of War. It's history is written by this war and that war all the way to now. So Sorry Family and Friends, Blessing and Peace will come!!

[Maryse]

WW1 was really bad for our area, WW2 was different. After all this, the village is still standing, looking very similar to what it was in the old part.