On the narratives of French railways in the construction of the memory of the Great War, 1914-1918
The Great War generated the construction of many narratives and memories of the war, including a contested interpretation of the performance of French railways during the conflict. The French railways played a key role in the history of the First World War; French trains delivered ammunition, food,...
Wedi'i Gadw mewn:
| Cyhoeddwyd yn: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/rhcf, |
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| Prif Awdur: | |
| Fformat: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Iaith: | Anglais |
| Cyhoeddwyd: |
Revue d’histoire des chemins de fer
2022
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| Pynciau: | |
| Mynediad Ar-lein: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Crynodeb: | The Great War generated the construction of many narratives and memories of the war, including a contested interpretation of the performance of French railways during the conflict. The French railways played a key role in the history of the First World War; French trains delivered ammunition, food, letters and a myriad of other items to the troops to ensure the functioning and morale of the troops. At the same time, the French artistic elite had transformed the images of trains departing to the battlefields into the symbols of the merciless war that had taken the youth to be sacrificed. Georges Duhamel's Civilization, 1914-1917 with its story of sixty trains running over the body of a soldier embodied the devastating effect of technology on humanity. In addition, some military historians presented their critique over the performance of French railways during the first days of the war and suggested that French railway companies could not abide to timetables to deliver troops to destinations. To counter this negative perception, the highly placed officials in the French railway companies, such as Paul-Émile Javary, A. Marchand, and Marcel Peschaud, published the detailed accounts on the contribution of French railways to the victory. They emphasized how many railway workers had lost their lives in the war and how essential the efforts of these companies were for the cause of victory. Moreover, railway companies organized train tours to former battlefields to educate the French about the scope of devastation in areas affected by the war. In conclusion, the article shows that French railway companies needed to take an active role in the construction of the memory of the Great War to avoid the false accusations of being among the perpetrators of the war. |
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