
France's military pigeons race in memory of brave predecessors
But the racing bird serves as a reminder of the brave service of its predecessors in World Wars I and II; and the 1870 siege of Paris.
Inside Europe's last military pigeon loft, Sergeant Sylvain cradled 193-529, an alert feathered athlete with an iridescent green neck.
"He's a carrier pigeon, like the ones who served in World Wars I and II", said Sylvain, withholding his surname for security purposes.
"But today he races", added the member of the armed forces, whose grandfather was also a pigeon fancier.
In Mont Valerien outside Paris, Sylvain flits between dovecotes, tending to some 200 pigeons — cleaning their shelters and making sure they have enough to eat.
These days, they only use their navigating skills when they are released during competitions, military ceremonies, or demonstrations for visitors, he said.
Humans have been using homing pigeons since Antiquity, but the French military started using them as a communication tool during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 after the Prussians besieged Paris.
In October that year, the interior minister boarded a hot-air balloon to flee the French capital.
Around a month later, the French military had elaborated a messenger pigeon plan to communicate with people still in the city, according to a French government account.
Patriotic Parisians donated more than 300 pigeons to the war effort, which were loaded into the wicker baskets of hot-air balloons and transported southwards to the city of Tours.
Upon arrival they were fitted with small tubes containing 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inch) of microfilm on which minute messages had been inscribed, called "pigeongrams".
They were then released as close to the capital as possible so they could carry them back inside.
Only around 50 pigeons made it.
Parisians who found the pigeons then placed the microfilm between sheets of glass and, using a magic lantern — an early type of image projector, projected it onto a large screen to read it.
They transcribed the contents and delivered the message to its intended recipient.
During the two world wars, pigeons were used again when "modern means of communication reached their limits", such as "bombardments ripping down telephone lines", Sylvain said.
During World War II, a French pigeon helped alert Allies that six German U-boats were undergoing maintenance in the French port of Bordeaux, leading to aerial raids that destroyed four of them, Sylvain said. The pigeon, nicknamed "Maquisard" like some members of the French Resistance, received an award.
A British pigeon too made headlines.
Gustav, a homing pigeon in the British Royal Air Force, travelled 240 km (150 miles) back across the Channel to break the first news of the D-Day landings in June 1944, according to the Imperial War Museum.
He carried a message from a war correspondent and was also awarded a medal. — AFP
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Observer
14-07-2025
- Observer
France's military pigeons race in memory of brave predecessors
MONT VALÉRIEN: These days, French military pigeon number 193-529 is no longer needed to carry tiny messages during war-time communication blackouts. But the racing bird serves as a reminder of the brave service of its predecessors in World Wars I and II; and the 1870 siege of Paris. Inside Europe's last military pigeon loft, Sergeant Sylvain cradled 193-529, an alert feathered athlete with an iridescent green neck. "He's a carrier pigeon, like the ones who served in World Wars I and II", said Sylvain, withholding his surname for security purposes. "But today he races", added the member of the armed forces, whose grandfather was also a pigeon fancier. In Mont Valerien outside Paris, Sylvain flits between dovecotes, tending to some 200 pigeons — cleaning their shelters and making sure they have enough to eat. These days, they only use their navigating skills when they are released during competitions, military ceremonies, or demonstrations for visitors, he said. Humans have been using homing pigeons since Antiquity, but the French military started using them as a communication tool during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 after the Prussians besieged Paris. In October that year, the interior minister boarded a hot-air balloon to flee the French capital. Around a month later, the French military had elaborated a messenger pigeon plan to communicate with people still in the city, according to a French government account. Patriotic Parisians donated more than 300 pigeons to the war effort, which were loaded into the wicker baskets of hot-air balloons and transported southwards to the city of Tours. Upon arrival they were fitted with small tubes containing 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inch) of microfilm on which minute messages had been inscribed, called "pigeongrams". They were then released as close to the capital as possible so they could carry them back inside. Only around 50 pigeons made it. Parisians who found the pigeons then placed the microfilm between sheets of glass and, using a magic lantern — an early type of image projector, projected it onto a large screen to read it. They transcribed the contents and delivered the message to its intended recipient. During the two world wars, pigeons were used again when "modern means of communication reached their limits", such as "bombardments ripping down telephone lines", Sylvain said. During World War II, a French pigeon helped alert Allies that six German U-boats were undergoing maintenance in the French port of Bordeaux, leading to aerial raids that destroyed four of them, Sylvain said. The pigeon, nicknamed "Maquisard" like some members of the French Resistance, received an award. A British pigeon too made headlines. Gustav, a homing pigeon in the British Royal Air Force, travelled 240 km (150 miles) back across the Channel to break the first news of the D-Day landings in June 1944, according to the Imperial War Museum. He carried a message from a war correspondent and was also awarded a medal. — AFP


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Just 19 percent of Moroccan women hold steady jobs, according to official figures, and in rural areas they are particularly affected by poverty, unpaid labour and a lack of opportunity. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP) "And yet I had never held an embroidery needle before," she told AFP. Just 19 percent of Moroccan women hold steady jobs, according to official figures, and in rural areas they are particularly affected by poverty, unpaid labour and a lack of opportunity. An artist with roots in both Morocco and France has tried to make a difference. Margaux Derhy founded the workshop in 2022 in her father's native village of Sidi R'bat, around 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Agadir, to fulfil her "dream to make art with purpose". The project uses textiles and old photographs to explore her family heritage before they left the country in the 1960s, turning sepia-toned portraits and scenes into large silk-and-linen canvases. The North African country was a protectorate of France before gaining its independence in 1956. - Creative process - The project is more than just personal for Derhy -- it also provides local women in the small fishing village employment. "I wanted to be engaged on the ground," said Derhy, adding that she hired 10 local women to work full-time for a monthly salary exceeding Morocco's private-sector minimum wage of 3,045 dirhams ($330). The women's hands glide over frames that were once used by Paris's prestigious Maison Lesage, the world-famous embroidery house that has worked with some of the greatest names in fashion. The creative process is collaborative, with Derhy drawing an outline and the team then gathering to choose the threads and colour palette for each section. A canvas can take up to five months to complete. A woman participates in an embroidery workshop in Sidi Rbat, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Agadir, on May 14, 2025. French Morocco artist Margaux Derhy founded the workshop in 2022 in her father's native village of Sidi R'bat, to fulfil her "dream to make art with purpose". The project uses textile and old photographs to explore her family heritage before they left the country in the 1960s, turning sepia-toned portraits and scenes into large silk-and-linen canvases. Just 19 percent of Moroccan women hold steady jobs, according to official figures, and in rural areas they are particularly affected by poverty, unpaid labour and a lack of opportunity. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP) The finished works, priced at up to $5,620, have been shown in exhibitions in Marrakesh, Paris and Brussels. Future exhibits are planned for Casablanca's L'Atelier 21 and Tabari Artspace Gallery in Dubai. The workshop has also helped to challenge perceived ideas about women in the village. 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Seated next to Nachit, Fadma Lachgar, also 59, said the work allowed her to help her family. "Resuming embroidery at my age, after 20 years of stopping, is a blessing," she said. —AFP Women attend an embroidery workshop in Sidi Rbat, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Agadir, on May 14, 2025. French Morocco artist Margaux Derhy founded the workshop in 2022 in her father's native village of Sidi R'bat, to fulfil her "dream to make art with purpose". The project uses textile and old photographs to explore her family heritage before they left the country in the 1960s, turning sepia-toned portraits and scenes into large silk-and-linen canvases. Just 19 percent of Moroccan women hold steady jobs, according to official figures, and in rural areas they are particularly affected by poverty, unpaid labour and a lack of opportunity. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)