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For soldiers at the front, receiving news from the rear and from their families, and being able to see that everyone was in good health, was a breath of fresh air in wartime. Not only did the men have their photographs taken, but so did their families, who sent them to the soldiers. Paul Monternier was one of them.
- Paul Monternier
Finding Paul Monternier is not difficult: the surname is not common. Paul was born on 18 July 1890 into the Montpellier bourgeoisie. His father, Charles, was a perfumer who was well known in the region for his perfume Lotion Triomphante.
He had a sister, Jeanne Eva, born in the same town in 1885.
A head of his class, Paul Monternier enlisted voluntarily for 3 years in 1910 in the 81st Infantry Regiment. After becoming a corporal, he became an officer cadet and then a reserve second lieutenant in 1912, when he was posted to the 96th Infantry Regiment.
Mobilised with the 296th Infantry Regiment, he was transferred to the 95th Infantry Regiment on 19 December 1915. He had therefore just joined the regiment when he received this card.
At the end of December, Paul Monternier was with the 35th Company, i.e. the 9th Battalion. This date and this posting correspond to a newly established training unit. Paul Monternier was therefore involved in the integration of troops sent from the depots. This makes sense in relation to the author of the card, who had already ‘sent off’ his conscripts from the 1916 class. This 9th Battalion was not a combatant and was not geographically located with the 95th Infantry Regiment. Postal sector 68 refers to the 45th Infantry Division south of Bergues, whose regiment itself was in the Commercy region.
He remained with this regiment until demobilisation. In the meantime, he earned his stripes as a lieutenant, then captain commanding the machine-gun company of the 1st Battalion.
When did Paul Monternier join a fighting company? Unfortunately, the regiment’s Journal de Marche is silent on this subject. However, Lieutenant Monternier did not appear on the staff on 1 January 1917. What’s more, his first citation, in May 1917, reads: ‘Officer with a high regard for his mission. For only a few days now at the head of a section has succeeded in rapidly gaining the confidence of his men. Showed superb spirit in leading his section to the assault on 17th April (…)’. We can therefore date his return to the front to early April 1917.
Between May 1917 and November 1918, he was Mentioned in Dispatches 5 times, giving his Croix de Guerre 1 bronze star, 2 silver stars and 2 vermeil stars. He was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in 1920. That same year, Paul married Marie Justine Albertine RIVIERE.
In the 1930s, he took over from his father at the head of Maison Monternier.
But although Paul Monternier had a busy military career, he was largely absent from the photographic record.
One soldier, six civilians
The image, taken outdoors, is unfortunately rather blurred. The image shows a family made up of :
A soldier in a velvet uniform. The idea of a uniform is a long way off. Unfortunately, the collar tab is illegible and there’s no way of telling which regiment this man belongs to, or even which arm!
He is posed by an older man in a suit and bowler hat, a sign of a certain social standing.
Two women are also present, warmly and richly dressed.
Three children, including an infant, complete this family portrait. The boots are polished and the caps well-fitted.
Unfortunately, the ‘Shops’ sign on the doorstep is not enough to identify the shot taken in front of a building.
- Good wishes… military
It’s 29 December. The author of the card, obviously a close friend, wishes Paul well. However, more than half of the text concerns his military activities.
‘29 December 1915
My dear Paul,
We received your card today, for which we thank you. Yesterday we sent out 850 men from class 16 and we are waiting for class 17. So we have a lot of work to do. I intend to take my statutory 4 days off for New Year’s Day. I wish you good health for 1916 and a victorious return. Yours affectionately (signature)
Photo taken on Sunday 26 December 1915
The man writes down what he does, which helps to situate him. Since he has just ‘sent off’ the class of 1916, this means that he is at the depot of his regiment and that he is in charge, directly or indirectly, of training the new troops. Far from the front, this man was able to adapt his dress to the requirements of the time.
The information given on the consignment of the class of 1916 is interesting. Called up in advance on 8th April 1915, the men in this unit were conscripted on 18th December, after nine months’ training. The class of 1917, awaited by the author, did not arrive until April 1916.
For once, the image is precisely dated: Sunday 26 December 1915. But who wrote to Paul Monternier and who is this family? The signature is difficult to read:
What is this first name? I first read ‘Nana’ or ‘Nono’ with the idea of an abbreviation of a first name such as Antoine, or Arnaud for example. What about this name? Aubert perhaps? The search was fruitless. Then the idea came to look more closely at Paul’s marriage certificate, with the idea that this relative might be a witness. Eva, Paul’s sister, was present and signed her married name: Hubert.
Jeanne Eva Monternier married Numa Marius HUBERT on 09 October 1909. The author is the brother-in-law of Second Lieutenant Monternier!
- Auxiliary services
Born in Coincy, Aisne, in 1876, Numa Marius Hubert was called up for military service in Montpellier. Short-sighted, he was deferred and then classified in the auxiliary services in 1898. Maintained in this condition when mobilised in August 1914, he was finally posted to the 2nd engineering regiment, garrisoned in Montpellier, in September 1915.
The JMO of the 101st company of the 2nd Engineers begins on 28 December 1915. Its first page confirms Numa’s writing about the class of 1916.
Of the 850 sappers of the class of 1916 trained, a quarter belonged to this 101st company. There is nothing to indicate the exact role of Private Hubert in this formation. He did, however, earn the stripes of corporal, then sergeant at the end of the conflict, and the Great War commemorative medal.
- A family (almost) reunited
Researching the people in the photographs was easy. The Hubert-Monternier couple married in 1909, and three children were born before the card was written. Numa Hubert’s signature on his third son’s birth certificate confirms that he wrote the card.
The differences in their ages make it possible to identify them, even the oldest couple: the Monternier grandparents. The tree can thus be represented:
- Absent
This absence is imagined, perhaps unconsciously, by the space left between the two men photographed. This space would be enough for the officer, who left 16 months ago, to slip into this family portrait.
What were Paul Monternier’s features? Once you get past the characteristics of his matriculated family, his image is missing.
Where was this photograph taken? We can imagine a well-known place. Perhaps the word ‘magasins’ on the front refers to the family perfumery on rue du Pont Juvénal in Montpellier? Out of context and on an isolated document, it is unfortunately impossible to have all the keys to reading it…
- Portraits of Paul Monternier
Because it is frustrating not to be able to put a face to a name, a descendant of the Monternier family has agreed to complete this article with photos of Paul from the family collection. His military career can then be retraced through the photographs:
Pose at the photographer’s. Paul belonged to the 81st Infantry Regiment. His corporal’s stripes date the photograph from between 11 March 1911 and 1 October of the same year. The ‘horn’ badge worn on his left arm indicates that he was a good shot.
Still with the photographer. Paul is wearing his officer cadet uniform with sabre, cassock and right epaulette. He was a second lieutenant. The photograph was taken between October 1911 and April 1912.
At the front. Taken on the spot, the image is overexposed. The man on the right is dazzled. The collar tabs of the soldier on the left indicate the 296th Infantry Regiment. The weather appears cold and snowy, and the photograph could have been taken during the winter of 1914-1915 (no helmet and single-row capote).
Although it is difficult to date, this image can be compared to the previous one, because of the cold season and the man in the background, who is the same as the dazzled soldier in the previous shot.
Two gold braids at the bottom of the sleeves. Paul Monternier is now a lieutenant. The 3 bars on his left shoulder indicate 24 months at the front. The photograph therefore dates from the 2nd half of 1916 at the earliest. As he was not yet decorated, the photograph cannot be from after May 1917.
The war was over and Paul was reunited with his family. Several of them in this picture were part of the portrait sent by Numa Hubert in 1915. The uniform worn was that of the staff service, which was joined in 1925.
- Update
Sometimes, the process of putting an image on line leads to feedback that can be used to enrich a journey. This is the case here, where a reader has sent us information about Paul MONTERNIER that he has in his possession.
In addition to the workshop photo already shown, we find:
His collar tabs with gold embroidered numerals bearing the number 296 of his mobilisation jacket, a religious medal and his identity plate. The religious medal is accompanied by a handwritten note: ‘Médaille cousue à Bézier par maman à l’intérieur la doublure’. It illustrates the practice of protecting soldiers at the front.
The engraving on the identity plate is unusual in that it mentions ‘Officer’ on the obverse and Paul’s date and place of birth on the reverse, instead of his class, service number and recruitment office. In fact, it complies with the circular dated 11 July 1891.
Paul Monternier received five commendations during the conflict, and his Croix de Guerre has five stars:
 | Deux étoiles vermeil Citations à l’ordre du 8e Corps d’Armée des 16 mars 1917 et 13 septembre 1917 |
| Deux étoiles argent Citations à l’ordre de la 16e Division d’Infanterie des 7 juin 1918 et 19 novembre 1918 | |
| Une étoile de bronze Citations à l’ordre du 95e Régiment d’Infanterie du 6 août 1917 |
The ribbon is that of the Wounded Warriors’ Medal.
As the service record does not mention any injuries, it is supplemented on this point by the Legion of Honour file, which mentions a first evacuation in February 1915 with hospitalisation until 27 March 1915, then a second evacuation on 11 July 1918 with hospitalisation until 4 August 1918.
- Acknowledgements
To A. Carobbi for proof-reading and the 9th Battalion trail, as well as Messrs Marchand and Rocquemont for passing on the family photographs and Hendrick for his contribution to the updating.
- Sources
Archives municipales de Montpellier numérisées :
Mariage de Paul Monternier : Côte 2E129, vue 148
Mariage de Jeanne Eva Monternier : Côte 2E116, vue 244
Archives départementales de l’Hérault : https://archives-pierresvives.herault.fr/
Affiche Lotion Triomphante : 12Fi1438
Registre matricule P. Monternier : Matricule 1450, classe 1912, bureau de Montpellier, 12R1253, vue 758
Registre matricule N. Hubert : Matricule 2091, classe 1896, bureau de Montpellier, 1R1097, vue 112
Informations sur l’appel des classes : https://combattant14-18.pagesperso-orange.fr/Pasapas/E402mob2.html
Informations sur le 9ème bataillon : https://combattant14-18.pagesperso-orange.fr/JMO/JMO_004.html
Journal de Marche : https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/
Secteurs postaux : https://cartesfm1418.pagesperso-orange.fr/obliterations/secteurpostal/tresor68.htm
Fond de carte : blog du 57e RI https://p8.storage.canalblog.com/85/16/132869/24612190.jpg
Image : collection T. Vallé. Réutilisation interdite sans l’autorisation du propriétaire.
Mise en ligne de la page : 11 avril 2021. Dernière mise à jour : 21 juillet 2024.
