L'Echo des Tranchees.

RARE TRENCH NEWSPAPER

Journal du 17e Territorial. Roneographed newspaper. Folio. 4pp. Some darkening to lower portion of first page. Verdun, 1 April,

Rare. OCLC lists copies only at the BNF and IWM. Printed in an edition of 150 copies, the paper is the usual jumble of jokes, songs, citations and promotions. Dated 1 April 1916, this issue appeared during the second phase of the Battle of Verdun, the longest battle of WWI, in which the 17th participated. It also fought at the Battle of Artois in October 1914. Both battles featured on the regiment's flag.

From the outset of hostilities, the French began producing newspapers in the trenches. In part they provided an immediate service as a way to disseminate information and a boost to morale, but they were also a reaction to the national press. The 17th were no different in this respect, the first issue of L'echo des Tranchees was printed on 30 November 1914. These publications were not meant for distribution beyond the trenches themselves, they were also produced by front-line soldiers, rather than officers, and so provide a fascinating insight into the morale and mindset of those soldiers at war.

This issue was printed before censorship controls were brought into effect. As a result of mutinies in 1917, General Petain ordered a stricter control of content. L'echo des Tranchees ran until at least May 1917. WWI historian Stephane Audoin-Rouzeau estimates that over 400 separate publications were produced by French soldiers in the trenches.

Stock Code: 213768