Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Marcel-Georges Brindejonc des Moulinais (18 February 1892 – 18 August 1916) was a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

aviator who died in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

Early life

Brindejonc des Moulinais was born in Plérin

Plérin

Plérin is a coastal commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Plérin are called plérinais.-External links:* *...

in Côtes-d'Armor

Côtes-d'Armor

Côtes-d'Armor is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France.-History:Côtes-du-Nord was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Brittany. Its name was changed in 1990 to...

. He was the son of Jean-Georges Brindejonc des Moulinais and Blanche-Marie-Amélie Merlin. He was educated by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...

, and then the college of Saint-Servan

Saint-Servan

Saint-Servan is a town of western France, in Brittany, situated 2 miles from the ferry port of St Malo. It is renowned for its lovely shops and restaurants....

in Ille-et-Vilaine

Ille-et-Vilaine

Ille-et-Vilaine is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country.- History :Ille-et-Vilaine is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

. From 1901 to 1912 he lived at "Le clos linden" in Pleurtuit

Pleurtuit

Pleurtuit is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Bretagne north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Pleurtuit are called Pleurtuisiens.-See also:* Dinard - Pleurtuit - Saint-Malo Airport...

at 41 rue Saint-Guillaume. His summer vacations were spent mostly with his cousins at Pleurtuit Val, near where his parents owned Pontouraude. As a student in 1910 he attended the University of Rennes

University of Rennes

The University of Rennes was a French university located in the city of Rennes. It was established by the union of the 3 faculties of the city in 1885. In 1969, it was divided in two new universities:* the University of Rennes 1...

Aviation career

His love of aviation arose during first flights at Dinan

Dinan

Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...

and Dinard

Dinard

Dinard is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a popular holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents...

during the summer of 1909, and especially during the summer of 1910. In 1910, he was diagnosed with appendicitis

Appendicitis

Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...

, which he suffered with until his death.

In December 1910, he bought an airplane from Alberto Santos-Dumont

Alberto Santos-Dumont

Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....

in Issy-les-Moulineaux

Issy-les-Moulineaux

Issy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...

. He then went to Pau where he enrolled in flight school. He obtained his civil pilot's license on March 23, 1911 (No. 448). In June, he participated in the meeting of Abbeville

Abbeville

Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...

(Sum) on a Bleriot monoplane. After an interview with Gabriel Voisin

Gabriel Voisin

Gabriel Voisin was an aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained , circular, controlled flight, including take-off and landing. It was flown by Henry Farman on January 13, 1908 near Paris, France...

in Issy-les-Moulineaux, he replaced soon by a first device Borel

Etablissements Borel

Etablissements Borel was a French aircraft manufacturer of the early twentieth century. It was founded by Gabriel Borel and manufactured a number of monoplane designs between 1909 and 1914...

for a living and repay the loan he had made his family (4 000) , participating in exhibitions in Pau, Toulouse

Toulouse

Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...

, Carcassonne

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...

, Perpignan

Perpignan

-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...

, Foix

Foix

Foix is a commune, the capital of the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas...

. In July 1911, he returned to Paris: the company hired as the Morane pilot. At that time, he fell fifty meters, when the aircraft was caught on a crane by one of its stretchers. He was treated at the Boucicaut Hospital in Paris.

It quickly became an aviator renamed, participating in numerous events. The crowd watched with glee at the spectacle offered by Marcel Brindejonc mills Kercorb (Aude) on 15 February 1912. It was Juvisy-sur-Orge

Juvisy-sur-Orge

Juvisy-sur-Orge is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.Inhabitants of Juvisy-sur-Orge are known as Juvisiens.-Geography:Neighboring communes:* Athis-Mons* Draveil* Savigny-sur-Orge* Viry-Châtillon...

in April 1912. On 17 June 1912, the circuit of Anjou

Anjou

Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...

(accounting for the grand prize of the Aero-Club de France), where he had to complete seven times -Angers Cholet-saumur

Saumur

Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...

(1 100 km), despite the bad weather that nailed to the ground most pilots Avrillé, and despite opposition from the manufacturer of the aircraft (Léon Morane) it off. He ranks third on the Morane-Saulnier

Morane-Saulnier

Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...

(equipped with a Gnome engine of 80 horsepower), having successfully reduced its gap with Roland Garros, which was the only one who can do the third and last lap. Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais became famous throughout France, his name being associated with that of Roland Garros. On 8 August 1912, he tried unsuccessfully to win the Pommery cup on the route between Paris and Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. A mechanical incident in the Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

stopped him.

The year 1913 was the most glorious. His trip from Paris to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

to Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

to Paris (1 040 km on a monoplane Morane-Saulnier C, with double crossing of the Channel) took place from 25 to 27 February 1913. In London, he was sentenced to a fine of one thousand francs for suspended over the city. During his raid Paris-Bordeaux

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

-Burgos

Burgos

Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

-Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

to Perpignan Lyon Paris from 24 March to 12 April 1913, weather conditions were harsh: "What a terrible trip! How I suffer! One can not imagine!" He wrote.

The prestigious Pommery Cup trophy was given between 1909 and 1913, twice a year (before April 30 and before October 31), the aviator who traveled the greatest distance in one day (and then two days in 1913). Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais made several unsuccessful attempts in 1912 and 1913: Paris-Berlin on 8 August 1912, Berlin-Villacoublay on 18 October 1912, attempted the impossible after the blessing of Morane-Saulnier

Morane-Saulnier

Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...

at Villacoublay by the Bishop of Versailles (Game monsignor) on 22 October 1912, Paris-Münster

Münster

Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...

on 29 April 1913, Bremen

Bremen

The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

-Brussels-London from 9 to 11 May 1913. Despite cheating Guillaux of Mauritius, which claimed to have covered 1 386 km on 23 August 1913, Marcel Brindejonc Princesse de facto won the famous cup on 10 June 1913 on the 382.8 km 1 (length approved at a speed of 170 km At the judgments being counted) of Paris (Villacoublay, starting 3 h 37) in Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

(14 hours and arrived 18 minutes later). In Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, he continued on his Morane-Saulnier H (two-seater monoplane, the pilot is in the rear-engined GNOME

GNOME

GNOME is a desktop environment and graphical user interface that runs on top of a computer operating system. It is composed entirely of free and open source software...

eighty horses) in a circuit of the capitals of Europe (a Just over 4 800 km) between June 10 and July 2, 1913: Warsaw-Dwinsk (June 15) - Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

(June 17) Reval (June 23) - Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

(25 June) - Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

(June 29) - The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

(1 ((er)) July) Paris (Villacoublay, July 2). To cross the 300 km of the Baltic Sea, Marcel des Moulinais Brindejonc had obtained from the Russian navy, with the prince Liben, eight destroyers were placed on 25 June every eighteen miles between the island and Argo the Swedish capital. The reception was everywhere triumphant. The ovation was outstanding Villacoublay, where he arrived a little after four o'clock in the afternoon, escorted by at Villacoublay Corbeaulieu four monoplanes. He was received at City Hall from Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. Newspapers around the world praised the courage of the young Breton. Quantity of letters of congratulation were simple address: "Brindejonc des Moulinais, France.

Awards

He was knighted in the order of Legion of Honor on 11 August 1913 he was twenty-one years, and he was the youngest of Legionnaire France. On 3 July 1913, he received the great gold medal of the Aero-Club de France. On 23 December 1913, he received the Medal of the Academy of Sport. He had been decorated at Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

(by the Grand Duke Alexander) in the order of Sainte-Anne, Stockholm

Stockholm

of the order of Gustav Vasa and Copenhagen

Copenhagen

( June 30 by the king) in the order of Daneborg.

On 20 July 1913, he won the match against Mauritius and Edmond Audemars Guillaux to Juvisy-sur-Orge

Juvisy-sur-Orge

, for the price of Essor, a test of speed climb organized by the newspaper L'Auto. On 12 August 1913, he traveled without incident thousand kilometers from Marseilles to Dinard

Dinard

, through Albi and Poitiers. (1)) (st September he flew to Dinard

Dinard

in Deauville

Deauville

Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.With its racecourse, harbour, international film festival, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino and sumptuous hotels, Deauville is regarded as the "queen of the Norman beaches" and...

and won Nantes

Nantes

Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....

Royan

Royan is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, along the Atlantic Ocean, in southwestern France.A seaside resort, Royan is in the heart of an urban area estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle, Rochefort and Saintes...

and Agen

Agen

Agen is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.-Economy:The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average...

(845 km). From 27 to 29 September 1913, during the events of the Gordon Bennett Cup at Reims

Reims

Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....

, he won the speed contest, and ranks second in the competition with high passenger.

Military career

Called to perform military service, it was incorporated on 10 October 1913 at 1 aerospace group to Versailles

Versailles

Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...

. On 10 April 1914 he was appointed Corporal

Corporal

Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....

, and assigned to the 2 ((e)) group of aviation Lyon

Lyon

Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....

.

He was allowed to participate in some civil trials. On 2 April 1914, he Vitoria-Madrid-Bordeaux-Marseille (1 083 km) in twelve hours and fifty-four seconds. On 3 April, he made Monaco-Marseille (210 km) in three hours and nine minutes. On 8 April he won the prize for best time on the Madrid-Monaco. On 20 April 1914, he participated in the test Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

(Schneider Trophy

Schneider Trophy

The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...

), driving on a Morane-Saulnier

Morane-Saulnier

Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...

, he had to abandon.

His advancement in the army was swift: Corporal Airman in the squadron DO 22 when war broke out in August 1914, Sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

on 3 September 1914, second lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...

on 25 December 1914, lieutenant December 26, 1915. He received the Croix de guerre on 2 June 1915.

On 4 August 1914, Corporal Marcel Brindejonc des Moulinais joined to Stenay

Stenay

Stenay is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.It was one of the last villages to experience fighting during World War I. Stenay was captured on 11 November 1918 by the American 89th Division under General William M. Wright only hours before the Armistice went into...

(Meuse) DO Squadron 22, and flew on an aircraft Dorand. From August 11, he saw the advancing German armies left behind in the villages on fire. On the evening of 2 September he told the General Foch

Ferdinand Foch

Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...

, who commanded the French army, which he had discovered on the march on Reims

Reims

Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....

of the 3 German army (General von Hausen). His comments to the General Foch continued the following days he was flying with Captain Pujo.

On 9 September 1916, during the First Battle of the Marne

First Battle of the Marne

The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...

, he reported three times that there was a hole between the German armies and Camp de Mailly. He had difficulty convincing his superiors. Intelligence was of the utmost importance. The clearance allowed the successful offensive against the French. On 13 September, General Joffre finally did issue a statement to the victory: "Our victory is increasingly complete. Everywhere the enemy is retreating."

Death

After the Battle of Champagne

First Battle of Champagne

The First Battle of Champagne was fought early in World War I in the Champagne region of France, between the French and German Empire armies. It was effectively the first significant attack by the Allies against the Germans since the construction of trenches following the so-called 'Race to the...

his health became increasingly poor and he was forced to rest in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. On 28 August 1915, he became the chief pilot at the flight school at Morane-Saulnier Bourget. On 30 May 1916 he joined a squadron as a pilot. Shortly after his return at dusk on 30 July 1916, both Maxime Lenoir

Maxime Lenoir

Adjutant Maxime Albert Lenoir was a pioneering World War I flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories.Lenoir trained as a pilot in 1913, receiving Pilot's Brevet No. 1564 on 5 December, and so was serving in aviation when World War I began. He completed his military training, receiving...

and he shot down a Fokker

Fokker

Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....

. His plane was shot down on 18 August 1916 in Vadelaincourt

Vadelaincourt

Vadelaincourt is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....

near Verdun. He was buried in Souilly

Souilly

Souilly is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The Town Hall at Souilly, fronting on the Voie Sacree, served as headquarters for general Petain and, later, general Nivelle during the Battle of Verdun in 1916....

on 6 July 1922. Captain de Beauchamp, who would be killed on 10 November 1916, gave him tribute: "Brindejonc is the man in the plume, the symbol light, living, the beauty, honor passing very high, over life."

Early life

Aviation career

Awards

Military career

Death

Further reading