Sunday, March 31, 2019

Heninel, a ses Enfants.


Memorial in Heninel, France to the men of the town who died in World War One.  This monument is placed next to the village church.


Saturday, March 30, 2019

Fallon County, Montana Veterans Memorial. Baker Montana.


This is the memorial to the veterans of all U.S. wars located in Baker Montana, the county seat of Fallon County, Montana.


Baker today is a fairly small town, so the number of names is impressive.  Of course, this may also mean that the agricultural and oil producing county had a substantially higher population at one time, but its impressive nonetheless. 



Today In Wyoming's History: Richard's (Reshaw's) Bridge, Evansville Wyoming.

Today In Wyoming's History: Richard's (Reshaw's) Bridge, Evansville Wyoming.: Reshaw's Bridge, or more correctly Richard's Bridge, was a frontier North Platte River crossing only a few miles downstream from ...

Monday, March 4, 2019

Courthouses of the West: Fallon County Courthouse, Baker Montana

Courthouses of the West: Fallon County Courthouse, Baker Montana:

Fallon County Courthouse, Baker Montana



This is the Fallon County Courthouse, which also houses the county and city offices and the county library, in Fallon County Montana. The building is located in the county seat of Baker.





I was obviously there in the middle of winter, and on a cold day at that.





An American Legion dedicated flag pole is in front of the courthouse, dedicated to the veterans of all wars.




Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Lex Anteinternet: More bills becoming law. 2019 Wyoming Legislature. Medal of Honor Cities.

Lex Anteinternet: More bills becoming law. 2019 Wyoming Legislature....:

More bills becoming law. 2019 Wyoming Legislature.

Another selection of bills have been signed into law by Governor Gordon.

A formal bill signing has been requested for the following bills:
Bill No.Enrolled Act #Bill Title
SF0109SEA No. 0061Educational attainment executive council.
SF0115SEA No. 0064Order of protection-tolling during imprisonment.
SF0040SEA No. 0065Operation of motorboat while intoxicated.
HB0130HEA No. 0095Wyoming Cowboy and Cowgirl Legacy Week.
HB0204HEA No. 0096Common college transcript-implementation.
HB0297HEA No. 0098K-3 reading assessment and intervention program.
HB0082HEA No. 0104Veterans' skilled nursing facility.
HB0180HEA No. 0106Mixed martial arts regulation.
HB0212HEA No. 0107Alcoholic beverages-business flexibility.
HJ0010HEJR No. 0003Medal of Honor cities.
The governor will act upon these bills:
Bill No.Enrolled Act #Bill Title
SF0099SEA No. 0057Voting systems and ballots.
SF0067SEA No. 0058Hospital cost study.
SF0088SEA No. 0059Firemen's retirement fund plan b-contribution.
SF0107SEA No. 0060Pari-mutuel fee distribution-state fair account.
SF0120SEA No. 0062Student expulsion hearing requirements.
SF0142SEA No. 0063County regulation of livestock grazing.
SF0047SEA No. 0066Controlled substances education and administration.
SF0046SEA No. 0068Opioid prescription limits.
HB0143HEA No. 0097Presentence investigation reports-judicial discretion.
HB0020HEA No. 0099Program evaluation standards.
HB0062HEA No. 0100Wyoming Utility Token Act-property amendments.
HB0029HEA No. 0101Unclaimed life insurance benefits.
HB0113HEA No. 0102Special electric utility agreements.
HB0125HEA No. 0103District court filing fees.
HB0243HEA No. 0108Driver's licenses.

A really interesting one in this set is the one that designates certain towns and cities as Medal of Honor cities.  It's set out below:

ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED
JOINT RESOLUTIONHJ0010

ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 3, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2019 GENERAL SESSION




A JOINT RESOLUTION to designate cities and communities in the state of Wyoming as Medal of Honor cities or communities to honor the Medal of Honor recipients connected with the cities or communities.

WHEREAS, the Medal of Honor is our nation's highest award for valor presented to veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States for acting with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of one's life during combat with an enemy of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Medal of Honor medal is widely respected by the military and public alike; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming has been home to seventeen (17) Medal of Honor recipients from the United States Army, Unites States Navy and United States Marine Corps who served in five (5) wars, from the Civil War to the Vietnam War, over a period of one hundred seven (107) years; and

WHEREAS, seventeen (17) recipients who earned Medals of Honor, were born in, or laid to rest in six (6) cities and three (3) unincorporated areas in the state of Wyoming; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming's Medal of Honor recipients are not presently honored by Medal of Honor markers in their cities or other communities with which they were associated; and

WHEREAS, "Medal of Honor City or Community" markers in public places across Wyoming will preserve the legacy of service and sacrifices of Wyoming's recipients; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming deeply appreciates the service and sacrifice of its Medal of Honor recipients and the positive roles they have played in their communities for more than one hundred (100) years.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:

Section 1.  The Wyoming legislature hereby designates Casper, Greybull, Cheyenne, Laramie, Powder River, Rock Springs and three (3) unincorporated areas, Platte River, Elkhorn Creek and Bluff Station as "Medal of Honor" cities and communities and encourages the creation of Medal of Honor markers in public places in the designated cities and communities.

Section 2.  That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the governing body of each Medal of Honor city or community, the Governor of the State of Wyoming, the Wyoming Veteran's Commission, the Wyoming Association of Municipalities, the Wyoming County Commissioners Association and state organizations of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

(END)






Speaker of the House


President of the Senate





Governor





TIME APPROVED: _________





DATE APPROVED: _________


I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.




Chief Clerk


It's a neat idea, but it contains an error.  Little Powder River isn't an incorporated municipality.  It used to be, but ceased to be quite some time ago.

I'm amazed that there's seventeen Wyomingites associated with the Medal of Honor, but then this notes that it does go back to the Civil War.  At one time the Medal of Honor was the only medal issued by the United States military, and even civilians were eligible early on in some military circumstances.  Peace time awards were in fact common early on, and were particular common in the Navy, where more than one sailor lost his life trying to save drowning individuals.

Well, it's a neat idea.

Lex Anteinternet: Those other North American soldiers in the Great W...

Lex Anteinternet: Those other North American soldiers in the Great W...: World War One era Canadian poster urging the purchase of Victory Bonds. "Now" Canada? Yes. Perhaps we should start there...

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Pro Patria, French War Memorial


As with many French memorials, this war memorial was originally for the dead of World War One but was later added to so that those of World War Two could be additionally included.

MKTH photo.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Henri Guillaumet, Pilot from Ligne


A memorial in Ligne, France, to Henri Guillaumet, a pilot who lost his life in World War Two.


The memorial was placed on the 50th anniversary of his death.

MKTH photograph.

Monday, February 18, 2019

In memory of Paul Vincent.


A monument to Paul Vincent, who was arrested on May 12, 1944, deported to Nevengamme, and who died at Bergen Belsen on April 13, 1945.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Friday, February 15, 2019

Monument to returning partisans, France.


A French monument to six French partisans who returned by parachute and lost their lives on May 9, 1944.

I'm unfamiliar with this incident, but a large percentage of these operations were unsuccessful due to the penetration of the British SOE by the Germans. The SOE was only one of several British secret service organizations during the war and was not a full time professional one.  Following the war it investigated the penetration and somewhat, but not fully, determined what had occurred, although it also operated to cover up the event as well.

This monument indicates that the captured Frenchmen were deported to Germany where they must have been subsequently executed at some point.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Wyoming National Guard Museum. Signed Into Law on February 14, 2019


ORIGINAL House 
Bill No. HB0039

ENROLLED ACT NO. 4, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2019 General Session




AN ACT relating to defense forces and affairs; designating the historic Wyoming national guard armory as a museum; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.  W.S. 1914112 is created to read:

1914112.  Description and declaration of Wyoming national guard museum.

The lands in Laramie county, Wyoming, described as follows are hereby declared to be the Wyoming national guard museum to be managed by the military department: All of Block 8, Replat of Airport Addition to the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming, as shown by the Replat of said Airport Addition on file and of record in the office of the County Clerk and Ex-Officio Register of Deeds, in and for said Laramie County, said replat being filed on October 1, 1935, as No. 287212; LESS the Southerly ten (10) feet of said Block 8, Replat of Airport Addition quitclaimed to the City of Cheyenne by the Wyoming Army National Guard, as filed June 15, 1995, in Book 1400, Page 461, in the records of said Clerk of Laramie County, Wyoming.

Section 2.  This act is effective July 1, 2019.

(END)






Speaker of the House


President of the Senate





Governor





TIME APPROVED: _________





DATE APPROVED: _________


I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.




Chief Clerk

Saturday, January 26, 2019

French War Memorial, Reconnaissante France.


French war memorial in  Reconnaissante France.  Like many of these memorials, this one had the names of the World War Two war dead added following the Second World War.


MKTH photographs.

Friday, January 25, 2019

French village war memorial for World War One.



A memorial in a French village to its World War One dead.  Note the number of names on the memorial.  No wonder the memory of the Great War is so alive in France.

MKTH photographs.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Memorial to French War Dead. Gandelu France



This memorial in Gandelu, France has been kept current following its original dedication to World War One's lost soldiers.  Those lost in World War Two, the French Indo-China War, and the Algerian War were later added.


MKTH Photographs.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Sunday, January 13, 2019

War Memorial, Coulombs, France.


The war memorial in Coulombs, France, dedicated to the men of the town who lost their lives in World War One and World War Two.


The flags are those of France and the European Community.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

French Military Museum at The Invalides



These are photographs of the absolutely incredible museum at The Invalides, a structure which was originally a French hospital but which was converted by Napoleon to military use.

All photographs by MKTH.


The amount of material at this museum, including these cannons, is absolutely incredible  Everything from and about French military history can be found there.





These are small artillery models.  Incredibly detailed.


















Model soldiers depicting Napoleonic Wars era troops.






Martial musical instruments.














































Coat and hat of Napoleon Bonaparte.


Napoleon's hat.












Napoleon's horse.


Portrait of Napoleon as Emperor of France.

























Russian uniforms of the World War One and civil war period.














This uniform reflects the typical French uniform of the Franco Prussian War period on to early in World War One.
















Uniform of German landser, World War One, post 1915, with Maxim 08 machine gun.

M1916 German helmet with death's head, as used by Freikorps units.




Polish uniforms circa World War One.







American Army uniform as worn in Siberia by American troops committed to Russia during World War One.



Flag of French forces that were committed to Russia from 1914 to 1919.











































World War One era French cavalry display.