When we bought our farmhouse, we were told that we were the first people to open up the shutters on the first floor in 50 years. Amongst the cobwebs we discovered a lot of writing on the walls by American soldiers who were staying here during the First World War. Apparently our house was used as a small hospital/recovery house by the US 144 Infantry Division Medical Corps and Company H 11th Infantry.
It is hard to describe the feelings that James, my husband, and I felt along with our two friends Julie & Mick, who helped us clear out the house, as we discovered the names, poems, tallies of numbers of days stayed etc. scratched on the walls.
We felt humble and sad but also at the same time, we thought what a lovely spot for the boys to stop to recover from their injuries. Our house has a lovely and calm atmosphere and we feel no bad vibrations (If you are into that sort of thing!) and the land has great views over the countryside. Mind you our house would have been very basic and extremely cold in the winter. Downstairs by the open fire someone had written "NO LOAFING" – definitely someone from the USA, not France!
We also found what we believe to be an old sentry post, old ammunition, a dog tag (army identity tag), army cutlery, spy binoculars which took pictures and even an unexploded hand grenade when we did our landscaping.
It was difficult to capture some of the writing on photographs due to the deterioration of the poor plaster… but I share with you here the most poignant ones:
Shutters Open for the 1st time in 50 years
This photo was taken just after we had opened
the shutters.
Our first floor used to be a grain store.
There were only shutters, no windows.
Poem C McElwaine
I am gone to the front
And the next man that
Takes this place as his bunk
I hope you don't have as hard a
time of it as we had here.
McElwaine 16 071 11th Infantry
Poem by John
We are ready for the front
I hope we will not bump
I hope I meet in that
land my darling sugar lump
John Na……..?
A signature - Sgt. Anthony Chirarisi, High Cliff Wisconsin
A signature - Pvt. Carl Rookstool, Oilton, Okla, USA August 5 1916?, 1918?
Incredible that we found our house to be a witness of time… The writing has been conserved behind dry wall lining so perhaps some day in the future someone else will discover this history book!
We are renovating the farmhouse to be our home though our priority is the conversion and renovation of the barns to create independent gites for travelers and holiday makers as well as provide B&B. For more photos please check it out at www.sarahandjames.org
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