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The last feathered soldiers
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The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254859.jpg
In the museum dedicated to the military carrier pigeons of Mont Valérien, Le Vaillant (right), hero of the First World War and decorated with the Croix de Guerre for his heroic act during the battle of Fort de Vaux on June 4, 1916.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254860.jpg
Marshal Sylvain is in charge of the military dovecote of the 8th Army Signal Regiment. Every day, he inspects and cleans each barrack of the loft.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254861.jpg
Marshal Sylvain is the person in charge of the military pigeon loft of the 8th regiment of signals of the Army. He is the grandson of a pigeon fancier in the Pas-de-Calais region, a recognized specialist in civilian pigeon racing. As an expert, he is in charge of breeding, from reproduction to care, including training.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254862.jpg
The military dovecote has 150 pigeons, owned by the Army. The French army used pigeons as transmission agents during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and the siege of Paris, as the only means of communication with the capital. The French Army will use them until the 1960s. At the end of the 60's, the General De Gaulle, wished to maintain a dovecote of tradition and memory.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254863.jpg
Marshal Sylvain knows each of his residents and recognizes them at first glance.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254864.jpg
The manager of the loft inspects each of his athletes down to the wings. The plumage is very important, it must be very silky, and the bird must have a good balance. The marshal renews his loft with new youngsters every year to avoid inbreeding.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254865.jpg
Military pigeons are bred and trained as top athletes to compete in civilian pigeon racing. The older and less performing ones are used for official releases.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254866.jpg
Trained as an artilleryman in the Army and a specialist in drones, Sylvain discovered the Mont Valérien dovecote by chance in 2013. He volunteered to maintain this military tradition.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254867.jpg
The loft has its own infirmary. Two boarders, donated by a pigeon club, arrived the day before and are waiting to be vaccinated. They will stay a few days in the cage, the time to adapt and to be sure that they are not sick.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254868.jpg
The marshal prepares the vaccine against paramyxovirosis, the main viral disease affecting pigeons. As an experienced pigeon fancier, he can provide basic veterinary care.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254869.jpg
Vaccination against paramyxovirosis, the main viral disease affecting pigeons, is subcutaneous. The military pigeon fancier stings at chest level, with the pigeon lying on its back.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254870.jpg
The military dovecote treats a wound on the corner of the beak of a new resident. He will stay a few days in quarantine in the infirmary to avoid contaminating the water of his fellow birds.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254871.jpg
The marshal selected about twenty pigeons for a release.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254872.jpg
The pigeons are the property of the Army but to compete in civilian competitions, the person in charge of the loft belongs to a pigeon club in Montesson in the Yvelines.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254873.jpg
The person in charge of the dovecote makes regular releases in good weather from the top of the Mont Valérien fortress to train his athletes and spot his future champions.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254874.jpg
The person in charge of the dovecote makes regular releases in good weather from the top of the Mont Valérien fortress to train his athletes and spot his future champions.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254875.jpg
The marshal scans each release, analyzes the flight of his pigeons, locates the males or females at the head of the group and classifies the future long-distance, middle-distance or speed specialists according to their flight anatomy.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254876.jpg
In front of the war memorial of the 8th Signal Regiment
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254877.jpg
After about 15 minutes of flight, the pigeons are back in their hut. The carrier pigeon has the ability to locate its position in relation to its loft despite great distances and regardless of where it was released, by locating itself in relation to the sun and magnetic north.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254878.jpg
The loft has several families and types of carrier pigeons. Some fly only during official ceremonies. Others, for pigeon races. According to their anatomy, some are made to fly very long distances (from 500 to 1000 km); others for middle distance (from 300 to 500 km); others are champions of sprint (less than 300 km).
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254879.jpg
All pigeons are ringed. The military ring allows to find a pigeon lost during a release, a competition or to identify a corpse.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254880.jpg
Marshal Sylvain presents one of his favorite female pigeons, a middle-distance champion. He is proud to maintain this pigeon racing tradition within the army. But he assures it, for the moment he did not receive any order from his Staff to maintain his pigeons for communication purposes as the only recourse in case of blackout.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254881.jpg
Marshal Sylvain presents one of his favorite female pigeons, a middle-distance champion. He is proud to maintain this pigeon racing tradition within the army. But he assures it, for the moment he did not receive any order from his Staff to maintain his pigeons for communication purposes as the only recourse in case of blackout.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254882.jpg
In the museum dedicated to the military carrier pigeons of Mont Valérien, the portraits of Major Raynal, the carrier pigeon Vaillant and the last message that the Major sent from the fort of Vaux in Verdun, surrounded by the Germans on June 4, 1916, asking for help.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254883.jpg
In the fortress of Mont Valérien housing the 8th transmission regiment, the museum dedicated to the history of military communications.
The last feathered soldiers
Olivier Donnars / Le Pictorium
LePictorium_0254884.jpg
Colonel Jean-Baptiste Matton, commander of the 8th Signal Regiment at Mont Valérien in front of a painting representing Le Vaillant, a military pigeon crossing the armed lines during the First World War. The military man assures him that France no longer has any operational use for carrier pigeons, even though some foreign armies, such as the Chinese army, have recruited thousands of carrier pigeons in recent years.