J’ai été à l’enterrement d’un camarade victime d’un accident et qui est mort des suites dans une ambulance située à proximité de notre cantonnement
Letter 5th june 1916
No additional information was given about the accident and no names, apart from it being a friend.
Jules letter from the 5th June indicates that his friend died after an accident in an ambulance on the way to hospital, therefore we assume the accident was before the 5th June. Reviewing the casualty list for 4th June in the 7e DI JMO we find that there were casaulties
Unfortunately none were from the 315e. Fortunately the memoires des hommes database will be able to confirm if there were any deaths on the 4th June:
The memoires des hommes confirms two official deaths from the 4th June 1916.
From the two names above, we first have an Albert Blanchard, who we quickly discount from the conversation as the cause of death was killed by the enemy and the location was not near to Tourbe.
However Sergent Major Pauvert cause of death was war wounds and the location was near to Ville-s-Tourbe.
In addition Pauvert was also a Sergent therefore of the same rank as Jules and we can potentially assume he was either from the same battalion 4e or more likely the same compagnie 16e.
Today I went to a funeral of a friend who died in an ambulance, near to our rest area. He was the victim of an accident
Therefore we can say its very likely that Sergent Major Paul Joseph Pauvert was his friend that died
So who was Paul Joseph Pauvert?
We know that Paul was born on 10 January 1884 and was part of the Classe of 1902. On the 28th October 1909 at Chateauneuf en Thymerais he married Madeleine Charlotte Dubreuil:
Witnesses :
– PAUVERT Jean Joseph Eugène, 28 ans, cultivateur, Moriers, frère de l’époux
– un ami de l’époux
– BAZIN Eugène Louis, 58 ans, cantonnier, Boissy-en-Drouais (28), oncle de l’épouse
– DERLON Aimable Alphonse, 46 ans, peintre, La Loupe (28), oncle de l’épous
Paul and Madeleine had one daughter named Odette Marguerite who was born on 4th August 1911 and died on 24th April 1996 in Le Mans (unknown other relatives).
Paul was mobilised on the 12th August with the 101e RI
Cité à l’ordre de l’Armée 07/12/1914 :
«A, au cours d’un combat où tous les officiers avaient été tués ou blessés, pris le commandement de sa Compagnie, l’a maintenue au feu pendant quinze jours. Blessé, n’a pas voulu se retirer»
At the heart of a combat situation, where all officers with dead or wounded, he took command of his compagnie and maintained them operational for the next 15 days. Despite being wounded he refused to leave the front.
Paul was wounded again in 1915 where he received a bullet hole wound to his left hand on the 5 May 1915
On the 20th May 1915: Awarded the Croix de guerre avec palme and Médaille militaire
After his injuries on the 5th May and a period in hospital and rest, Paul was then transferred to the 315e RI on 12th June 1915 – the battalion and compagnie transferred too are unknown, but we assume the 4e battalion and maybe the 16e compagnie.
Paul died on the 4th June 1916 near Tourbe. The cause of death is disputed as his Service record stats that he died on the 3rd June at Tourbe, whilst his official death certificate confirms the 4th June, but that he died of wounds near Tourbe.
Ultimately both documents do not provide much detail, but Jules letter from the 5th June provides the crucial detail missing from the official documents, that the wounds he did received were actually from an accident and that he died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
Ultimately we cannot be 100% confident Paul is the “camarade” in question, but the cause of death, location near Tourbe and his rank of Sergent, provides enough evidence to be convinced.
If anybody can find more information on Paul, please get in contact
Monument in Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais with Sergent Major Paul Joseph Pauvert name.
