programme du 17 mars 2015

On the trail of Anne Morgan
Blérancourt, Vic-sur-Aisne, Soissons,
Anizy-le-Château, Coucy-le-Château
Published by
la Communauté de Communes du Val de l’Ailette
Trail-discover
Blérancourt
BLÉRANCOURT,
CARD*at the service of the devastated region of Aisne
The CARD’S original HQ
* American Committee for Devastated France
Ru
e
My dear friends,
M
or
ga
i
n
ike Pla
yD
ce
urra
d
M
Lecu Gé
nne
ler nér
A
e
c
al
Ru
GP/R.-G. Ojéda
Miss Morgan established the centers close to the local
populations so we could identify their needs and provide
them with assistance. Our centers, which are housed in
barracks, consist of offices, housing for the volunteers,
a garage, a library and a hall where the locals can
gather.
An
ne
e
Av. Pasteur
Anne Murray Dike
A CARD driver repairing
her Ford© RMN-GP/J.-G. Berizzi
Ch
ou
e
tte
© RMN-GP/ G. Blot
34
D9
Anne Murray
Dike’s grave
Church
Av.
de
la L
ibé
rat
i
Ru
e
on
de
la
I was honoured to meet Anne Murray
Dike, the CARD president Ruat
the
eG
uit
Blérancourt HQ. We took stock of
on the
n
measures that need to be taken in e the
area: everything needs rebuilding,
especially people’s enjoyment in life!
There is a great deal of work to be
done and it will take years!
the
ll during
town ha J.-G. Berizzi
rt
u
o
c
n
/
P
Bléra 17© RMN-G
war, 19
re
ier
-P
int
Sa
rg
ou
ub
Fa
du
Bessie
e
Ru
Members of the American Committee under Blérancourt arch, 1921 © RMN-GP/J.-G. Berizzi
am
D 934
lin
Mou
Bessie
ad
D 935
200 ft
pM
D 610
am
Tourist Office
and barracks
Ch
o
eC
d
Rue
u
Ru d
Thanks to our Ford trucks we can travel
all over the region providing relief and
assistance to the local people. I hope you
will soon be able to come.
The villages are being rebuilt and we will
soon be moving out of our barracks into
houses. You will be amazed to see how well
the work is progressing!
Franco -American
museum of the
Château of Blérancourt
50 m
gne
iè
mp
these
blish in
is to esta ritable
ve
« Our plan
a
s
ct
stri
ll
various di nter, to which wi of that
ce
s
community rmation about need n spread
ca
fo
in
we
ich
wh
gather
om
fr
and
e needscommunity, s of meeting thes tive way
an
uc
me
tr
e
ns
th
co
t
d
ou
an
personal
ive to
in such a
an incent
be
a new
ll
of
wi
g
reatin
that it
people.»
g and re-c
re-buildin irit in the French
sp
1917)
life and
er, summer
Dike, lett
ay
rr
Mu
(Anne
Anne Murray Dike
commemorative stone
Rue
de
l’E
gl
ise
In your last letter you asked me what our CARD centers
are like. I’ve made a souvenir album to give you an idea
of our day-to-day life!
Miss Anne
Morgan in
uniform, circa
1917 © RMN-
3
Barracks of CARD, Blérancourt, 1920
© RMN GP/G. Blot
i
Information
3©
r t, 192
CA
ou
léranc
nter, B da
RD ce
jé
.O
P/ R.-G
RMN-G
hé
s
ta
ai
n
tre
Ro
m
éâ
th
du
et
mb
Ga
M
©R
sm
ou
lin
ot
arn
il
Ca
m
te
La C
rise
Bd
De
Rue
C
Av. de Paris
Ru
e
ir e
ed
y
Ke
nn
La
fa
ye
t
Ru
e
nt
ide
ttle
ow
g bo . Lewand
ilizin
Ster N-GP/ H
Saint Jean
des Vignes
Abbey
s
Doctor Frazier in the dispensary, 1919
© RMN-GP/ G. Blot
Pampelune
e de
Ru
au Thierry
Châte
rés
ts, ,
infan
s for ski
Av. de Reims
Av. Thiers
e
Av. d
uP
artin
int-M
Av
.
ot
Cor
Rue
Information
e
e
G.
Ru
n
ea
t-J
n
i
Sa
cin
Ra
Bessie
rté
Fe Milon
la
de
N-GP/
© RM
ternautes
s Charpak
Today Mary is hiring some
Allée George
new nurses to help with the
infants. We have
just set
Ru
up a partnershipe Pierwith
the
Rue Ernest Lavisse
r
Goutte de Lait in Soissons,
which was created in 1894, Bto
dP
supply sterilized milk to theaul D
AMSAM
youngest infants and to carry oume
r
ne Morgan
n
A
out medical check-ups.
Rue
e
Ru
rie
Cu
i
V
r
l
Allée des Nobe
e
Misses Hughes and Wilde in the Committee’s
garage, 1919 © RMN-GP/ G. Blot
22
ge, 19
e gara
n
is
A
ric-su
Blot
gu
e
Ru
Allée des In
t
ce
or
nd
Co
ue d
R
Rue de l’E
If you had seen
us
glisetoday with Mary
at the wheel of our Dodge truck,
you’d be surprised! How sad to go
through all those miles of devastated
landscapes, but what a pleasure to
help these isolated populations ...
ysé
ousseau
Jacques R
flandre
Mary Breckinridge
© RMN-GP/ G. Blot
Pu
Rue des M in i m e
ics,
-baby clin
hold well
going to
out in a
ab
c.
et
« We are
lar
the scales to village at regu t
carrying
ing no
llage
ur
vi
as
om
me
fr
d
ng an
camion
the
and weighi
but also
intervals, ildren under six
»
ch
over six.
en
dr
only the
il
)
looking ch
1 may 1919
delicate
letter of
kinridge,
(Mary Brec
s
nt
il l a
s Feu
Rue de
u
Rue Jean
ctoire
de
c
vé
e
nl
Pa
Rue de la Vi
d’H
eE
de
Centre ge
and gara
e
Ru
Ru
e
lieve
play. I be
dren need
t base« The chil
n to star
have a ma
der
ol
to
e
e
th
ar
we
with
th them
football
ball and
e plays wi
Miss Alic keen on it.
boys, but
are
ey
th
little
d
e
an
s for th
already
ndergarten
We have ki
8 june
ones.»
letter of
kinridge,
(Mary Brec
1919)
o
ic
ér
Goutte
de lait
ed
Ru
e
Ru
Rue de Fontenoy
t
ur
Cathedral
Sa
Rue
200 ft
(Mary Breckinridge, letter of 23 february 1919)
ete
e Ga
Bessie
50 m
Bd
M
©R
e
« Vic is a quaint
ivi èr as picturesque and quaint as a town
ue Rtown,
could be and R
heartbreaking in its ruins. The tower of the old
château in the center goes back to Charlemagne and somehow it
seems to suit this tower to have had part of it demolished by
shells. »
Av
.V
ol
ta
Rue Je
anne d
’Arc
ne
Rue de Pompon
a
hysic
n’s p
a
r
ski
o
D
dow
Miss s, 1920 . Lewan
H
s
/
la
P
c
N-G
i
Av. de
Paris
© RMN-GP/ H. Lewandowski
Tourist Office
n
catio
l edu
Ru d’Horizon
Rue de l’Echelle du Temple
Agnès Doran
200 ft
d’Arc
i
50 m
e
Rue D
Rue Brouillaud
Enfant Jésus
school
5
Tourist Office
istophe
Rue Saint-Chr
Bd Jeanne
my
Da
ien
c
Lu
hy
ttic
d’A
Rue d
e
e
Ru
St-C
hris
top
he
SOISSONS
ark
y and P
r
a
s
n
e
p
s
Di
e
Ru
Saint-Crépin
Park
le
VIC-SUR-AISNE
Soissons
Bd
Vic-sur-Aisne
, 1920
ulance
e amb
te
it
m
A Com / G. Blot
N-GP
© RM
i
Information
0
192
Vieux
Anizy-le-Château
la
m
Church
ai 1945
Pa
um
e
a in
Et
gu
e
B
oyen
Rou
te
ou
v e r n eu
de M
Ru
e
Rue d
ées
ous
ép
de S
Tower
ois
son
s
Museum
D 13
Jessie Carson
© Mus
el
Information
0
192
, circa
r-AisneBlérancourt
u
-s
ic
V
,
me in
éricain
Story ti e Franco-Am
é
© Mus
Coucy-le-Château library, circa 1920 © RMN-GP/
H. Lewandowski
ss
i
Bessie
e
nk
lte
A family of refugees in front of the ruins of
their house,1919
Our dear Jessie Carson has arrived
to join the Committee and take
charge
of
the
CARD’s
education
projects. Every day she organises the
delivery of books via the circulating
libraries and hosts “story time” for
D 937
our young
visitors. They enjoy it more
than anything!
.A
Av
19
re, 19, Blérancourt
ng sto
in
travelinco-América
D
R
A
C
ée Fra
© RMN-GP/J.-G. Berizzi
Tourist Office
Former AMSAM
houses
© Musée Franco-Américain, Blérancourt
M
Rue du 8
Bessie
n
lo
s
me
de
la P
orte
Vi
va
nt
Place de
l’Hôtel de
Ville
la
de
e
Ru
nd
sure Isla
over Trea
ys
n to disc
French bo
e
Th
!
« What fu
en
, but
ch childr
with Fren g “un peu bizarre” rson
de
in
find Kipl oper “épatant”. An
Co
as
Fenimore
well-known Robinson,
as
e
ar
and Grimm the Swiss Family
, Alice
Pinocchio, le Lord Fauntleroy
tt
Heidi, Li nd and Kim »
la
in Wonder
21)
port of 19
(CARD’s re
Ru
ed
uG
ne
a
tre D
Bl
i
Ru
This morning, Marian Bartol offered
ed
u V ieux Château
to show me around the new temporary
buildings, the “provisoires”, in Anizy:
an
agricultural
school,
a
church,
a
dispensary and a permanent store! Up to
now, traveling stores had been touring
the isolated, devastated villages with
provisions, sheets, stoves...
e
Ru
léran
in B
ions G. Ojéda
is
v
pro -GP/R.n of
N
Rue sous
le P
ibutio © RM
arc Distr , 1917
t
r
u
co
de
s
Rue
de
s
mu
R ue de la Poterne R
ue
Côte
de
u
tea
Place
de l’Hôtel
Dieu
Ch
â
ur
Rue Paste
Rue
du
Com
E
ot
rri
He
La
No
Rue
n
Léo
Rue
u
Town
Council
ai
nt
Fo
i
ert
ne
aig
n
Vairo
du Jeu de Paume
Pl.
ub
arg
e
Ru
ne
Chauny
te de
Por
’
td
Library cilu Po
oun
Town C
UPPER TOWN
e
Ruell
ur
beau
Cir
Rue
aste
P
Rue
Marian Bartol
District with
temporary
dwellings
er
le M
e
ourc
oucy
de C
Rue
© Musée Franco-Américain, Blérancourt
s
m
Dou
l
Rue
rère
es F
la S
a
de l
Côte
le A
t
d
Rue
de
Rue
COUCY-LE-CHÂTEAU
el
Ru
lan
7
200 ft
versière
Tra
r
moy
Ga
blown
been
d had urs.
o
e roa
t
h
e
t
d
s
t
road
nstan rbed wire c. (..)
cross
ke co
5 s, et
every ad to ma ation, ba hoDle
y
« At
we h te desol , shell
slowl
o
s
up,
ple
hes
e and ollecting
m
c
r
o
n
e
c
e
h
r
t
s
t
c
It wa lements, re living start by onating
g
a
t
n
entan p of men and. They ls and de to fill i
u
l
l
A gro ming the loded she e shovels
i
p
v
a
x
i
l
e
s
c
n
s
u
a
re
1921)
use m
f the
nuary
all o Then they
21 ja
them. enches. »
er of
t
t
e
l
r
the t
rtol,
an Ba
(Mari
de
an
ru
eT
Ru
Dor
Ver
t
200 ft
arx
du
Former AMSAM
dispensary and centre
ot
Carn
Rue
Ru
e
D 26
50 m
M
Rue
ANIZY-LE-CHÂTEAU
Coucy-le-Château
50 m
i
Information
DOW
N
IL
P
AP
COUCY-LE-CHATEAU
On the trails of
Anne Morgan
ANIZY-LE-CHATEAU
Find out more about
adults’ and kids’
activities at the
different Tourist
Offices. Discover
the mobile app, the
totem signs and the
photo exhibition «The
war through their
eyes.»
17 km
18,5 km
22,5 km
VIC-SUR-AISNE
0
5
10 km
Recommended circuit
For more informations about Anne Morgan:
visit the franco-american museum of the Château of Blérancourt
E
D FR E MOB
11 km
14 km
BLERANCOURT
A
LO
E
Build your
ownTRAIL
Villages served by each Card
operations centre
Project by la CC du Val de l’Ailette
About 83 km
Grateful thanks to :
E. Diéval, A. Dopffer, M. JudasUrshel, K. Polinger Foster, D. Pantel,
M. Reb, B.Ruelle, M. Schneider,
R.Vagniez, Tourist Office of Coucy and
Blérancourt, Franco-american museum
of the Château of Blérancourt,
The Morgan Library, The New York
Public Library, the RMN and 5 towns
crossed.
Sources quotes of Mary Breckinridge :
© Karen POLINGER FOSTER, Monique
JUDAS-URSCHEL, to help children of
Soissons, American letters by Mary
Breckinridge 1919 – 1921.
Translations and commentaries by
Karen Polinger Foster & Monique
Judas-Urschel, Edition Encrage.
Source for Marian Bartol : Archives
of the Morgan Library & Museum,
New York. Source pour Anne Murray
Dike : The New York Public Library.

Download Report