BOUTET DE MONVEL Bernard (1881-1949), important correspondence from the Great War (1914-1918) [More than 200 documents] Bernard Boutet de Monvel was mobilized at the start of the war, and was present at the retreat from Charleroi. As an infantry sergeant, he took part in the Marne victory. Following a wound, he was found unfit to serve as an infantryman. Bernard's correspondence with his mother, Jeanne Lebaigue, dates back to this early period. These exchanges began in August 1914 and detail his life at the front. In a letter dated August 29, 1914, he writes: "Two words: I'm perfectly well. I have, however, seen war up close this time: it's all in good fun to hear shells bursting overhead, and not dangerous at all! ". Before adding that "it's pretty tiring though, some days we've got up at 1 ½ a.m. and gone to bed at 11 ½ p.m., after walking 55 kilometers and fighting 2 hours without a moment's respite and on an empty stomach". This correspondence continues until December 1915. These letters are accompanied by Jeanne Lebaigue's notebooks, in which she records her feelings along with newspaper clippings from the period. (Lot sold as is)