This is Marcel Radet (1895-1960). He was my maternal great-grandfather. He fought in World War I (Première guerre mondiale), soldier in the 9e régiment du génie (9e RG). He obtained a prestigious award: the Croix de Guerre (Cross of War – it’s a military decoration of France, first created in 1915. It was awarded in World War I, World War II, as well as in other conflicts, to soldiers who distinguished themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy).
During the war, Marcel made a lighter using copper bullets and pieces of shrapnels. He had to pay a “tax” on his lighter! (Times haven’t changed).
This picture of Marcel Radet was taken between 1914-1918. He was drafted for World War I at the age of 19… As a mother, I just can’t imagine sending my 19-year old son off to war…
Marcel Radet lost his brother Lucien and one cousin during the war… My grandmother told me many times that her dad had respiratory issues all of his life due to the poison gas he breathed during the war, and that it was horrible to hear him cough during the winter.
3 times during WWI, he was wounded by pieces of shrapnels. He lost most of the use of a hand. He was wounded on May 5th, 1915, at Mouilly, then wounded again on April 23, 1917, close to Bugny au Bac (Aisne department). This and much more information is located in the 4 pages of his “Registre matricule”.
Marcel and his brother Lucien were soccer players in Sézanne (51). Sadly, just 7 months after this picture was taken, Lucien died at war… He was only 21 years old…
I “used” Marcel Radet to give an example of how to locate your ancestor’s military information in the “Researching in France” section, “Military Archives (Registres matricules)” page.
I also “used” him and his family to give the steps to locate census information (in the “Researching in France” section, “Census records” page).
Genealogy
Here is Marcel Radet on my Geneanet tree. His wife, my great-grandmother Madeleine Lescuyer, is the descendant of the Marquis Charles Louis Joseph de L’Escuyer d’Hagnicourt, referred to in another post.
(FYI: on Geneanet, the little “green circle” by an individual’s picture indicates my direct lineage with the individual).
My French Lineage 