“In the Footsteps of a Poilu” with Alex Lyons

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Great War historian and writer Alex Lyons joined me on an evening in the UK to let us into a very personal and ground-level account of a French soldier in the First World War: through the letters of his great-grandfather, Jules André Destrigneville.

Alex has been composing tweets of Jules’ letters, cross-referenced against unit histories, orders, and other soldiers’ accounts. He has also written articles for the Great War Group’s excellent publication, Salient Points. Having the time to talk with Alex about his great-grandfather’s experiences and the general experience of French soldiers in World War I was an immensely rewarding time, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Correction: deep into the episode Alex and I discuss some of the ranks in the French Army, specifically those of sous-officiers and officiers.

Sous-officiers are those of NonCommissioned Officers, and are the ranks of Caporal, Sergeant, and Adjutant and their various grades. Officiers are officer ranks, beginning at Sous Lieutenant and going all the way up to Général.

Follow Alex on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri315e

Link for the Great War Group: https://greatwargroup.com/

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