Postman's Path, Postmaster's Path

Laonnois < Aisne < Picardy < France Postman’s path, postmaster’s path During more than 4 years of war several billions of letters were exchanged between soldiers at the front and their families. Very early on, the high military command realised that sending and receiving mail helped the men hold on for longer. The company postmaster was no doubt the person whose daily passage was most keenly awaited. Braving danger, he had to come through the trenches to bring news right up to the front lines. Bouconville-Vauclair BOUCONVILLE- VAUCLAIR Est. time: 4hr • 1 D • Length: 10.5km round trip 1 • Lowest point: 86m 3 • Highest point: 192m 6 • Level: Difficult 2 1 • Waymarking: 7 Postman’s silhouette 5 3 • Passing through: 4 2 CRAONNE Bouconville-Vauclair, Craonne Panorama at highest point of route ON THE ROUTE NEARBY © J.P. Gilson Vauclair Abbey (see box page 2) Observation tower 1 1 TOURIST INFO.: Caverne du Dragon, Museum of the Pays de Laon Tourist Information Chemin des Dames officeTel. 03 23 20 28 62 Le Balcon trench in a break on the plateau with 2 superb viewpoint over the French lines Monument to the Basques CREATION AND UPKEEP GPS treasure hunt. More info. on OF ROUTE: www.geocaching.com Ruins of Vieux Craonne and arboretum Office National des Forêts and 3 Communauté de Communes du Chemin des Dames D Depart Vauclair Abbey car park, cross road and take 5 Walk along the entrance to a sap (sign), come out on the “Chemin des Dames” forest track (departure point left-hand side and back onto track for 200m going Route card taken from sign). past the Talus de Gérardmer (sign) and turn right to get to D18 road (Chemin des Dames). Cross road 1 Then first track on left (Laie de l’étang) will take you www.randonner.fr carefully and go down into Le Balcon trench (sign) the Aisne walking/hiking to D886 road. Cross carefully and re-enter woodland. and continue left to the wayside cross (viewpoint website. Walk alongside Bonne Fontaine lake. diagram and information boards). 2 At next junction, turn left, passing by site of old German battery (sign) to reach the Allée des Frères 6 Go down track to right of the road and turn left Anciaux. twice as you walk up through meadows and Vieux Craonne to get to starting point at the Arboretum. 3 Turn up to the right. 7 Turn left to cross D road (carefully) and get to the 4 100 metres before D18 road (Chemin des Dames), Place de la Croisette (departure point sign). To See all our good take track on left for 150m then slip down into the deals on return, go back the same way! www.facebook.com/ Bordeaux trench (sign) (look out for tree stumps!). conception : www.grandnord.fr randonnee.aisne 1/2 Laonnois < Aisne < Picardy < France Postman’s path, postmaster’s path Episodes in History ROAD TRIP Everyday history KEEPING UP MORALE Diaries 14/18 9 km - Depart Caverne du Dragon The generation of soldiers sent to war in 1914 had all gone to school, a result of the Ferry (Education) laws passed in 1882. The reading and writing of letters therefore played an essential part in their lives at the front. Correspondence not only enabled men to receive news of loved ones and children left behind but also to continue managing their goods/property. Many soldiers from the country could thus advise and guide their wives in working the farm. An estimated 4 million letters arrived at the front every day, not 02 ADRT © counting parcels which brought to soldiers a few © ADRT 02 comforting items from their home region which they shared, for the most part, with their “mates”. Contemporary postcards History underground UNDERGROUND WARFARE The section of plateau along which you are walking was occupied by the Germans from the first months of the war. They called it the Winterberg (winter mountain). Follow the adventures of Vast underground quarries offered men shelter from bad Andrew Naylor, a British stret- weather and shelling. German Engineering companies cher-bearer, in the Aisne during drove many tunnels through the plateau, enabling soldiers World War 1 by downloading to cross it with ease. These underground structures the Diaries 14-18 application! also enabled them to bring in reinforcements and battle Visit major battle sites on the equipment without the risk of being shelled by French Chemin des Dames with the artillery. It was only when they set foot in the trenches on “Between heaven and earth on the edge of the plateau that the French discovered the the Chemin des Dames” audio scale, ingenuity and, above all, the effectiveness of these tour. German underground facilities. Audio-guide tour suitable for départementales 02 © Archives children over 10. Application available on Soldiers in underground tunnels App Store et Google Play of the Caverne du Dragon History in stone VAUCLAIR ABBEY This abbey was founded by the Cistercian order in the early 12th See details of WW1 century. The monastery suffered severe damage in the 16th century, during the centenary events on Wars of Religion. An aerial photograph www.aisne14-18.com taken from a French plane in March and in brochure available 1917 and preserved in the Aisne for free in all Aisne Tourist departmental records shows that the lay brothers’ building and the dormitory Information offices were still standing at that time. Just a few kilometres from the front lines and sheltered by a steepsided valley, it was used as living quarters by German troops. 02 ADRT 02 / © AD However, a few days after this location photo was taken, French long-range Find «Aisne-14-18» on heavy artillery completely destroyed this great building which had survived for so long. Vauclair then and now 2/2.

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