10-06-1922 Postcard from Morocco

Provenance

I obtained this postcard for just a few euro’s from an online auction at www.delcampe.net in April 2021.
Always looking for personal historical documents from the French Foreign Legion, this postcard also triggered a more personal emotion. On the front it depicts the “Ruines de VOLUBILIS”. It reminded me of the great journey I made with my youngest brother to Morocco in the 1980’s in which we also visited the ruins to this old Roman setlement.

The history of the Postcard

Postcard front. Titled: 87 – Ruines de VOLUBILIS
Edition: Papeterie Bardeau, Meknes
[ Coll. NLL ]
Postcard back

Adresse

The postcard was send to:

Madame Hédouiy
7 Place du Petit Palet
Avranches
(Manche)

The postcard arrived according to the postal stamp on the 19th of June 1922.

Correspondance

It took the postcard nine days from Meknes, Morocco to Avranches, France.
The sender highly likely served in the French Foreign Legion.
He did not indicate his rank and his signature is very difficult to decipher.
However he clearly indicated his unit and whereabouts.
He wrote:

Demain je pars rejoindre mon bataillon en colonne.
Bons baisers pour tous les trois

1er Bon 3eme R. Etranger
Groupe d’opération a la Hte Moulouya par Aït Mouli ( Maroc )

Unit stamp

The postcard is stamped by the postmaster “le vaguemestre” of the:
4e Regiment de la Legion Etranger Meknes (Maroc).

A few months later, November 1922 the 4e RE was renamed as 4e Régiment Étranger d’Infanterie, 4e REI.
The unit was stationed in Meknes (Morocco) and following the name change received its regimental flag.

Discussion

When our “Legionnaire” sent his postcard mid 1922 to his “wife and children” ,units of the French Foreign Legion in Morocco were involved in the further expansion of the occupation of Morocco. Specific information could be found about the actions of the 2nd and 3th bataljon of the 3eme RE, though so far unfortunately not about the 1er Bon [1].

Further information about the “Groupe d’opération a la Hte Moulouya” is therefore more than welcome.

3. ASSAKA (Maroc, Haute Moulouya ) – Le Poste

References

1901-1935 : la Légion étrangère au Maroc, Pierre Soulié, Dans Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains 2010/1 (n° 237)

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