Reading published personal experience accounts of French soldiers in the #FWW, I often saw references to a card game, manille. This blog post tries to explain to those unfamiliar with the game what it's all about and its incredible popularity with "les Poilus".

http://vingtfrong.home.blog/2025/09/07/manille-le-jeu-de-cartes-prefere-des-poilus/

Here's part two of my blogging about traces of the Great War in the cemeteries of Paris. Now, some real encounters in the cemeteries of Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse and Passy, a penguin and an amazing bit of syncronicity. I hope you enjoy it.

http://vingtfrong.home.blog/2025/04/22/traces-of-la-grande-guerre-in-the-cemeteries-of-paris-2-meeting-the-dead/

The first of two posts on Traces of La #GrandeGuerre in the Cemeteries of Paris.
I hope you'll like the connections between the individual graves and memorials in 3 Paris cemeteries and the unique character of the French response to the scale of loss in the war #FWWhist #1GM #FWW #WW1 #history

http://vingtfrong.home.blog/2025/04/19/traces-of-la-grande-guerre-in-the-cemeteries-of-paris-1-introduction/

Thoughts on the differences and some of the key characteristics of French sites of First World War memory and mourning.

http://vingtfrong.home.blog/2025/03/01/necropoles-nationales-cimetieres-and-carres-militaires/

A Marne Morning with le maréchal Maunoury

During a visit to Paris, I took advantage of the Île-de-France's extensive public transport network to get out to the eastern suburbs and what were once separate communities. From Noisy-le-Sec to Le Raincy and on to Gagny. (I was thinking that maybe if I wrote nice things about them, they might give me free travel next time. This is, of course, a joke).

http://vingtfrong.home.blog/2024/11/11/a-marne-morning-with-le-marechal-maunoury/

Of water bottles, battlefield thirst, invention and patronage, vaccines and the rights of the citizen in uniform. #1GM #FWW #WW1

http://vingtfrong.home.blog/2024/09/21/aux-armes-mais-citoyens/