Corporal Jean Pecher (1914)

Jean did his military service right before the outbreak of the war and still had five months to go when the Germans invaded Belgium, in early August 1914. In the end his military service lasted six years.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

The 7th Line Regiment marching near the barracks of Beverlo (April 1914)

Marches to the gallant tunes of fifes and drums dated from another era and would soon be replaced by the destructive noise of industrial total war.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

The regimental colours of the 7th Line

Carrying the regimental colors onto the field of battle was another relic of the Napoleonic era, while uniforms and much of the equipment would appear completely inadequate. Jean photographed here the elegant lieutenant standard-bearer of his regiment with his two lifeguards.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Machine-gun unit pulled by dogs

Jean was enlisted in the machine-gun section of the 7th Line Regiment. His photo collection contains many images of the dogs that were used to haul the machine-guns.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

The 7th Line in Antwerp ready for action (4 August 1914)

Jean's unit is assembling in the barracks in Antwerp to march towards the front. In the first weeks of the war the 7th would be employed in defensive actions in the northern part of the country, awaiting the arrival of the French and British Allies. A couple of sorties from the fortress Antwerp, in an attempt to interrupt the German advance through the country, led to severe casualties.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

An improvised roadblock (August 1914)

Still a long stretch away from the massive defences that both sides would dig during the war, this roadblock of a Belgian machine-gun unit seems particularly primitive.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

German prisoners of war in the town hall of Diest (13 August 1914)

At the request of one of them, Jean photographed this group of German soldiers taken prisoner in the battle of Halen the previous day. He couldn't help notice how relieved some of them looked to be out of the war unscathed.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

After the battle of the Silver Helmets (13 August 1914)

Although most of his unit didn't take part in the battle of Halen (12 August 1914), where the German cavalry suffered a costly setback, Jean visited the battlefield the next day and was moved by the sight of the many casualties. He photographed dead horses but was horrified by the images of human corpses.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Help with the harvest

Two Belgian soldiers assist a peasant woman with the harvest. Jean observed it triggered fond memories about home for them.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Weary faces

Jean (centre) and two of his mates are photographed during a break in the retreat of the Belgian Army in the middle of August 1914. The maneuvering of the units in the initial weeks of the war proved tiring and as demoralizing as the growing awareness of an unstoppable enemy. For Jean it was clear who was to blame: "Everything is fine with me" he wrote his parents, "and, alas, also with the Germans. They move very fast and the French are to blame for the retreat, because they couldn't provide troops in time."

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Belgian cavalry (late August 1914)

Jean photographed this unit of Belgian Guides near Mechelen. While proven already totally useless in the early stages of the conflict, except for some reconnaissance duties, near-sighted military commanders curiously always kept the cavalry at hand for the remainder of the war, hoping to exploit it during the "big push" that was supposed to break open the Western front. That big push finally came in late 1918 but by then the horse soldiers were really a refuse of the past.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Observing the enemy

Improvisation was the order of the day. A Belgian officer watches enemy movements from a makeshift observation post, early September 1914.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

The machine-gunners of the 7th Line (early September 1914)

A fine group shot of some men of the machine-gun section of the 7th Regiment with their dog team and a poignant reminder of the horror of war. Jean added marks under those who would later be killed in action.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Belgian infantry moves into action (6/7 September 1914)

While action photography is for obvious reasons quite rare in the collection, in this shot Jean came quite close to capturing something of the real thing with a column of Belgian infantry deploying in a field.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Ghost town Aarschot (11 September 1914)

This shot of the central square in Aarschot encapsulates in many ways the dire consequences of war for soldiers and civilians alike. A woman carries water to the Belgian soldiers amidst the ruins of the city. Some 3 weeks earlier this square had been the scene of the tragic events that led to the execution of some 170 civilians and the destruction of the city by the German army. Shots, allegedly fired by civilian snipers at German officers, set off a brutal retaliation and Aarschot joined the sad list of martyrised Belgian towns.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

British presence in Aarschot (11 September 1914)

Jean met a British delegation in Aarschot, with among others a reporter of the Daily Mirror (centre).

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Refugees

As all wars the Great War resulted in mass movements of people. In the initial stages of the conflict they interfered with the troop movements and added to the overall chaos and confusion on the congested roads.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Food shortage

The war also meant food shortage, hunger and deprivation. Already in the early stages and before organisations like the "Kartoffelversorgungsstelle" came into full swing, people had to find alternatives, as this man from Aarschot.

World War IGreat WarJean Pecherwar photography1914Wereldoorlog IBelgian historyBelgium

Jean in the trenches

The war wasn't over by Christmas 1914, as many initially thought. The character of the war had completely changed by then, and so did the uniforms and materiel. Jean sent this photo as Christmas card in 1916.

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Sergeant Jean Pecher receives the Croix de Guerre in Antwerp (21 August 1919)

Jean spent the war alternating between frontline service and administrative duties behind the lines, was wounded in the final stages of the war, but did live to see the liberation and the Armistice.

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