Introduction
Whilst doing some general historical research using Gallica about the French Foreign Legion during the First World War I came across following obituary published in the French news paper, Journal de la Meurthe.
The obituary indicates that Monsieur Pierre-Henri FRANCOIS, capitaine of the 2e rég Etranger, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. Decorated with the médaille coloniale, the médaille commemorative du Maroc and the Officier du Nicham-el-Anouar, was heavily wounded and passed away in the dressing station Saint Louis on the 11th of mai 1915 at the age of 35.
A temporary funeral has taken place at a cementry of which the location, because of the actual circumstances could not be mentioned.
In the database of Memoire des Hommes of the French soldiers that died during World War One I could find the registration form of capitaine FRANCOIS’s dead. Note that his first names are written in reverse order, Henri Pierre.
In this we can find his date and place of birth 13 novembre 1879 at Nancy.
Further the place of dead is indicated Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise.
With this additional information a further registration was found dating from 1906 indicating he served as an officer of the 94e de ligne.
Naissance En 1879, Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Recensement En 1906, Bar-le-Duc, Meuse
What I personally found so interresting finding the name of capitaine Pierre-Henri FRANCOIS was that I previously had not come across his name as an officer of the French Foreign Legion that had died in the First World War.
I could now add him to the list I collated of these officiers.