Centennial message from WWI carrier pigeon found in French countryside



[ad_1]

A couple out for a walk in eastern France discovered a small capsule containing a message sent by a Prussian soldier more than a century ago using an unfortunate carrier pigeon.

The message from an Ingersheim-based infantryman, written in German in barely legible handwriting, detailed military maneuvers and was addressed to a superior officer, said Dominique Jardy, curator of the Linge Museum in Orbey in eastern France.

It appears to be dated 1910, or possibly 1916.

At the time, Ingersheim, now in the Grand Est department of France, was part of Germany.

The message, written in German, in barely legible handwriting, detailed the military plans.  Photo: AFPThe message, written in German, in barely legible handwriting, detailed the military plans. Photo: AFP

A couple found the small capsule with its well-preserved contents in September this year in a field in Ingersheim, said Jardy, who praised the “super rare” discovery.

They took him to the nearest museum, the Orbey museum dedicated to one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War, from 1914 to 1918.

Jardy had enlisted the help of a German friend to decipher the message, he said.

The small piece of paper and the capsule will become part of the museum’s permanent display. – AFP



[ad_2]