THE VERDUN CONCRETE VILLAGE

As Autumn takes grip and before the icy fingers of Winter take hold it gives us time to reflect on the past months. With Remembrance Sunday nearly upon us we can also reflect and remember those who have served and also those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts past and present from all nations across the world.

With recent war films like '1917', 'Journeys End' and the new version of 'All Quiet On The Western Front' and my own children studying our family history, of which there was a significant number of relatives serving in World War One it made me think a little deeper about the men and women serving during The Great War but also the construction of defences and buildings for the purpose of war and in particular the usage of concrete.

Looking deeper I found an interesting account of a German officer and his men during World War One tasked with the testing of concrete within fortifications. During 1915 and 15 miles behind the front lines at Verdun, France, a small "village" was created out of concrete. The officer in charge was Captain Hans Marguerre, an engineer from Berlin and to whom the "village" was to be named after. 

'Camp Marguerre' as it was to be known was made up a selection of houses, stores and bunkers throughout a small section of woodland. Some of these structures had ornate designs around the windows and doors with pebbles inset to add to the decorative effect. Camp Marguerre and its concrete constructions clearly demonstrated to the world the German advances in the usage of concrete within their construction of bunkers and pill boxes on the front line during that time.

The camp was later used in World War Two by the French resistance and over one hundred years later its concrete constructions still stand to this very day, a test of time and usage, cementing Captain Hans Marguerre and his men into the pages of history.