Olhain (Pas de Calais) - Le Château in 1917

            The Postcard

A postcard that was published by Phot.-Express and printed by Baudinière of 40, Rue du Caire, Paris.

The card was posted via a British Army Field Post Office on Tuesday the 25th. March 1919.

The message that was written across the divided back of the card was as follows:

"25/3/19.
Dear Old Girl,
This is the place we slept
in last night. We are now
at another place but I
don't know the name of it.
We have 2 more days to
do.
It is not a very grand job
and the wind nearly cuts
you in half.
Well Dear I will write again
at the next stop.
There are hundreds of
horses with me; there are
83 out of my Bty., and the
whole Boles horses are
together, that is 4 Btys and
Headquarters and the
Ammunition Column.
So long Dear for now with
fondest love to you both
from your ever-loving
husband Bert xxxxxxxx"

The Château d'Olhain

The Château d'Olhain (not Ohlain) is a 15th.-century castle located in Olhain, Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen, Pas-de-Calais, France.

The castle is located in the middle of a lake which reflects its towers and curtain walls. It was also a major stronghold for the Artois in medieval times, and testimony to the power of the Olhain family, first mentioned in the 12th. century.

The castle existed in at least the early 13th. century, but the present structure is largely the work of Jean de Nielles, who married Marie d’Olhain at the end of the 15th. century.

The marriage of Alix Nielles to Jean de Berghes, Grand Veneur de France (master of hounds) to the King, meant the castle passed to this family, who kept it for more than 450 years. Once confiscated by Charles Quint, it suffered during the wars that ravaged the Artois. 

Besieged in 1641 by the French, it was partly demolished by the Spaniards in 1654, and finally blown-up and taken by the Dutch in 1710. 

Restored in 1830, it was abandoned after 1870, and sold by the last Prince of Berghes in 1900. One of the château's occupants was related to Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, the person on which Alexandre Dumas based his Three Musketeers' character d'Artagnan.

During the Great War and World War II, the château was requisitioned first by French troops, then Canadian and British soldiers. The current owner has undertaken a programme of restoration.

The British Army Postal Service

During the Great War, the British Army Postal Service despatched over two billion letters and cards. Assuming an average length of 6 inches, if they were laid end to end they would stretch for 189,394 miles (304,800km) - that's over seven and a half times round the Earth's equator.

The Great War lasted for 1,567 days, therefore the Postal Service were kept busy handling an average of over 1¼ million pieces of mail every day of the war's duration.

The New Zealand Expeditionary Force

So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?

Well, on the 25th. March 1919, the  New Zealand Expeditionary Force was disbanded.

Joy Bells

Also on that day, the musical revue Joy Bells premiered at the Hippodrome in London with a line-up that included vaudevillian star George Robey.

Joy Bells ran for a successful 723 performances.

Jeanne Cagney

The 25th. March 1919 also marked the birth in New York City of the American actress Jeanne Cagney.  Jeanne was known for roles with her brother James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy and The Time of Your Life. 

Jeanne died of lung cancer in Newport Beach, Ca. on the 7th. December 1984. She was 65 when she died.
   

Taken on: January 9, 2022

Tags:

postcard

old

nostalgia

nostalgic

Olhain

Pas

Calais

Château

1917

Phot.

Express

printed

Baudinière

Rue

Caire

Paris

British

Army

Field

Post

Office

25/03/1919

1919

37LHA99

divided

back

wind

horses

headquarters

ammunition

column

Bert

Artois

New

Zealand

Expeditionary

Force

disbanded

Joy

Bells

Jeanne

Cagney

1984

Newport

Beach

George

Robey « less

Sets appears in: • Actresses and Actors • Great War

Stats: 348 views