Figure 1.--There was a home and school for some 500 refugee children at Toul in northeastern France. They were orphaned children. The Toul children wre fortunate in that not only dud they get food and supplies from the American Red Cross, but the American servicemen arriving in 1917 took a special interest in their welfare. This is a classroom scne for the yonger vhildren who ssem to be mostly boy.

The World War I Western Front was fought over for 4 years in a narrow band across through northern France and southwestern Belgium from Swuitzerland to the coast. After the German invasion was stopped at the Marne (September 1914), the front line did not change materially until the Allied Hundred Days Campaign cracked the front wide open (August-November 1918), forcing the Germans to ask for an armistice. Both Belgians and French civilans fled the Germns. And French officials moved civilians out of areas close to he front lines. These prople were moved into safe areas of France well away from the Front. This was an enormous effiort, sime 2 million French refugees as well as a substantial number of Belgians. There was an effort to spread out the refugee so that no French communitirs would be unduly burdened to care for the huge numbers of refugges. Thankfully the refugees in France ere better cared for because not only they broght to safe areas, but had access to French and American resourcesto care for the refugees with inundated thec ciountry. Here the role of the Catholic Church and the Ameican Red Cross was especially important. Unfortunately, while we have noted several centers mentioned, rarely have we found a good description of the facilities and history of these centers.

French Established Centers

Some 2 million French people became refugees at some stage of the War. And they had to bec assisted and accomodated in some way. France was a democracy and there was intense pressure to aid the fegugees, especially early in the war. Public authorities and charitable organizations axctted to aid the regugees, although we have been unabkle to find any centralized government asgency to coordinsre abnd direct the effort. We note the use of the term Secours de Guerre (War Relief/Assistance), but this seems to have been more an idea that a cebtrakized national program. The elected representatives of the invaded regions to aid the rfugees, but we see no actual state prigram or effort. There was state help, but especially imprtant was a large number of uncoordinated, independent charities organized. There were appeals launched by public figures, such as the Foyer Franco-Belge (Franco-Belgian Home) sponsred by the author André Gide (1869–1951). The refugees also organized themselves. The Government set up 10 national committees such as the Committee for Refugees in the Nord region. The Catholic Church played a major role in supporting the various refugee centers. American charities contributed to the effort. Once the United States entered the War (1917), relief supplied in substantial quantities were delivered to France abd distributed by American Red Cross. The United States from an early point wanted to aid European refugees and populations suffering from German invasuin, beginning with Belgium. A major problem was tat large aereas of Europe was contolled by the Central Powers and getting aid to them invomved huge logistical problems. France was different and aid easily delivered.

Caen

We notice a colony (home) for children at the old chateau dating to the time of William the Conqueror in Caen, Normandy. Caen was well south of the Western Front trench line and relatively untouched by the War. It would become a major battle in the Wirld war II fight fior Normandy (1944). There were facilities for 160 children. We are not sure what agency organized this. We see that Prefect Mirman was the director. This may mean that the home was organized by the lical municipality. There is also a reference to 'Stars and Stripes' children. Stars and Stripes was the newspapers of the American Expeditonary Force. This may refer to adoptions by American Doughboys. Funds for 15 children in addiition to deliveries of relief suppliees came from the ARC. Boys wear theb classic black school smock. Notably cery few boys in these refugee imageswearbberets which we jad thought were stillmcommon in France.

Catholic Church

Beginning with the French Revolution a major rift in French socitry began between the state abd the Church Thus varied over time with the Church's role in education being sharply reduced. Priests and nuns could not teach in the public schools, but the Church was allowed to operate schools, essentially private schools. There were both day and a few boarding schools, including covent schools. Some 33,000 Catholic priests joined the Army and 4,600 killed. Over 10,000 were awarded medals for bravery. The Church was very active on the home front. Catholic convents took in refugee children They Church centers and facilities were some of the many French groups that received ARC relief supplies. We are less sure about monastaries. We see many nuns involved at the many centers for the refugee children estblished throughout France.

American Red Cross Centers

The American Red Cross in addition to caring for American soldiers, operasted operated quite a number of facilities to help care for the refugees in France. These included hiospitals, dispensaries, sanatoria, asbnd other facilities. As imprtant as these ARC run facilities as imprtsnt as thy were, even mote vital was the food and other relief supplies provided to French Government fcilities. THe RC was the American Government's primary organization used to deliver relief supplies to the people of war-tirn Europe. We know a good deal about some of the American facilities because the Amricans left a copious photogrphic records, much of which are preserved in the archive of the Anmerican Red Cross.

Evian

Évian-les-Bains is a beautiful holiday resort and spa town lcated in the French side of Lake Geneva, frquented by the rich and famous. It would become notorious for a shameful failure of the international community to come to the aid save European refugee Jews from the NAZIs (July 1938). The Children's Bureau of the American Red Cross (ARC) opened La Chaux, a convalescent home with a capacity for 200 children. They were not permasnent residents, but children would come here for vacation-like visits. The were anaemic and sickly, from causes directly due to the war and have been taken from Paris to Evian for a weeks' outing and recuperation. The children came from Lyon and Paris. They were not are not really ill as a result of a disease, but were under-nourished and delicate and needed a little fresh air and good food to help them thrive. A group of American women doctors came to France, an indicator of how America led the world in women's rights, something rarely mentioned in modern American university women's studies programs. The doctors worked at Evian since the ARC opened the hospital there.

Grand Val

Grand Val was a large chateau and estate near Paris. The ARC converted it into a country home for the delicate children among the refugees received from St. Sulpice refugee facility near Paris. The ARC provided doctors and nurses along with healthy diets which enabled the condition of these children to improve notably in the healthy surroundings. These children were not orphans. Their parenrs even visited them. Many of the parents were uncomfortable with American doctors and nurses, some at first visiting every day. They soon realized hiw competent the Americans were and saw whatv they were doing for their children.

(La) Jonchere

The ARC set up a sanatorium for some 1,500 refugee children at La Joncherenear, a beach resort west of Paris.

St. Lunaire

The ARC estabklished a home for 500 children at St. Lunaire. St. Lunaire was an importasnt fishing port, but becoming a fashionable beach resort. It was a wonderful place for a children's home.

Picardy

Anne Morgan has real love for France. We are not sure just how this occured. The American monied class was more orinted toward Britain. But for Morgan it was France. Even before her inheritance she has made France her second hime, spending a great of time in Paris. Two developoments would change her life for ever and the lives of countless French people. First was her father's death and her inheritance which meant that she could go wherever she pleased. Second was World War I and the German invasion of France (1914). After the opening months and battles in Belgium, most of the war in the West were fought in nothern France. Picardy was especially hard hit because the Germans were so focused on Paris. This left northern France a sea of devestation as a result of the fighting and constant shelling. Large areas were depoulated and basically unavilable with buidings reduced to rubble, infrasructure destroyed, and the remaining population destitute. At the sane time, Germany was largely untoched. As mucha s the Germans complained about Versailles after the War, the were unconcerned about all the damage done France. Morgan began her war work in France as a private act of charity. Once American entered the War some Government assistance was possible.

St. Sulpice

The Church of Saint-Sulpice is one of the most important churches in Paris, located at the Place Saint Sulpice, in the Latin Quarter. It is only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame. It is dedicated to Sulpitius the Pious, bishop of Bourges (7th century). There are churches around the world dedicated to St. Sulpice. Construction of the existing building, the second on the site began (1646). An elaborate gnomon (time telling astrological device) became a main feature. The Saint Sulpice Seminary operated by Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice is located Issy-les-Moulineaux, part of Paris. Refugee children from the invaded regions of the north and close to the Western Friont trenches were sent to Paris. The French French Sisters of Charity played a role in this prcess, arriving in Paris at Gare du Nord train station. They were initially cared for at the St. Sulpice Seminary. Some were in aeak cindition. They were bathed, fed, and put to bed. And then processed for a more permant war-time home. Those in a wealened state were sent to Grand Val for special care.

Toul

Toul is a small town in northeastern France, south of Loraine. Loraine itself had een occupied by the Germans in the Franco-Prussian ar (1870-71). The town is situated at a strategic point, the intersection of the Moselle Rver which divides into the river proper and the French canal system. Toul was one of the refugee centers located closest to the front. We have not found much informtion on the facilities. Most of he material we have found suggest that it was primarily a children's home with a school for the children. There were about 500 children cared for at Toul. We note a wonderful well-lighted classroom for the children. Toul was also the primary base of the American Air Service which arrive (1917). It was the base for many of the 45 American squadrons deployed in France. The Americans referred to the area around Toul as the Toul Sector and two of the most important Amerucan offensives were launched here: the St. Mihiel Offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (September 1918). The Meuse-Argon was the largest American offensive of the War. After the American Expeditionary Force commenced combat operations, the refugee center was conveted to a hospital for wounded Americans.

Unidentified ARC Dispensaries

The American Red Cross opened many dispensaries in France. The focus was on the needs of mothers and children on the home front. Doctors and nurses operating under the direction of the ARC helped to lessen the strain of war upon the children of France. ARC opened 12 dispensaries in Paris and its suburbs. They were all similar to a photograph of one in Paris for which we have a phoigraph. There was a huge need One report based on the 14th arrondisement of the city. There were 125,000 inhabitants and with about 2,000 births annully about 400 deaths of babies per thousand, a terrible level of infabnt mortality. We have not yet found much information on these dispensaries. It should be recalled that the War was fought before France and other ciuntrues established national health systems and the health care needs of the working ckass were not yet been fully addressed. An the War increased the needs for health care with food shotages abd inadequate diets.

Comite Franco-American pour la Protection des Enfants de la Frontiere Centers (1915-22)

The Comite Franco-American pour la Protection des Enfants de la Frontiere (Franco-American Committee for the Protection of the Children of the Border) was an American charitable group. We do not know yet who the organizers were. But they collected funds in America to help setup and maintain facilities provides for the schooling and industrial training of about 1,500 destitute children who had fled the Germans. They came from norther France which is why the organization's name to the border. They also assisted Belgian refugee children. Many of these children had lost their parents as a result of the German invasion. The ARC provided food, clothing and other necistices to support the effort. One Comite report describes the terrible conditions French children faced, and what the Comite was attempting to do in France. "Marie and Simone Truchon, and father: Before the war the father was a mason. He has been at the front since war broke out. The mother, left with four children, found it difficult to give them sufficient nourishment. She had lost a little boy of tubercular meningitis in 190S. In March, 1916, a second boy, Rene, died of the same malady, and in February, 1917, the mother succumbed to the same disease. A month later the four-year-old daughter, Simone,_died of bronchial pneumonia following measles. Marie has been placed in the Sanatorium of Ormesson, at the expense of the Committee, and a boy, Alphonse, is in our colony at Gourin." [Comite Franco-American pour la Protection des Enfants de la Frontiere] Once America entered the War, food and other relef supplies became availbkle through the American Red Cross.

Sources

Comite Franco-American pour la Protection des Enfants de la Frontiere. Third Anual Report (January 1, 1918)

Created: 1:22 AM 11/8/2022
Last updated: 5:52 PM 11/9/2022