A Touch of Home... and a Bit of Souveniring Chateau Montreux, June 1918

On 26 June 1918 Bert’s section settled into their new billets and found an oasis; a beautiful, well-loved home still filled with treasures collected over several lifetimes. In the gardens roses, carnations, pansies, poppies and snapdragons bloomed in abundance. 

Thinking it safer, they picked a basement room. Upstairs they found a billiard table and a piano. They brought the latter downstairs and, that night, enjoyed a wonderful musical evening. There were reminders though, they weren’t far from the front; twice, German shells landed at the back door, and their nights were far from peaceful.

27 June - 11pm - We all cleaned our rooms out this morning. Ours is the smallest and best. Five occupy it. Three of us have bedsteads & mattresses, while the others have mattresses each. All of us have pillows. There is a carpet on the floor. We have hung pictures on the walls. There is a writing table with paper, ashtrays, and two vases filled with nice fresh flowers on it. Some class, and very comfortable... 

We salvaged table, linen, crockery ware, etc and refurbished the dining hall and decorated it. Flowers in vases are everywhere. It looks very nice and it is certainly pleasant ...to us it is a touch of home life we long to return to... 

This has been a very fine home of well to do people. They have undoubtedly taken away much of their goods, but what is left is fine. They have been an artistic family and collectors …there are pen, crayon, charcoal, water and oil sketches; many being orthographed. ...the remains of an antiquity collection; personally taken photos of their tours; mineralogical collection; and a fine library, both scientific and fictional. I have obtained several smaller sketches, an old Roman dagger, two larger petrified animal teeth from excavations near Buire Sur Pinere; a stone axe head excavated at St Achuil in 1864; and some unused PC [postcard] views of Corsica. 

If we did not take them they would be blown up by Fritz, probably... What a pity to see such a home broken up and its little treasures ruined by war. We must win!

By Shannon Lovelady
Story from A Signaller’s Story Exhibit