November 10, 2020

Anna Murray 

While a French couple was hiking through the Alsace region within Ingersheim of northeastern France in September, they discovered in the field a peculiar tiny aluminum capsule, a size similar to a thimble, which had a military pigeon message inside.

The carrier pigeon message was folded up and written in German Gothic script on tracing paper. It was later identified as a message about military maneuver during the First World War sent from one German military officer to another dated 1910 or 1916.

After recognition and translation, the note reads about platoon Potthof’s receiving fire, but later it suffered retreat and heavy losses.

Dominique Jardy, the curator of the Linge Memorial Museum in Orbey, described the carrier pigeon message as a super rare finding. It is exceptional that a military carrier pigeon message turns up 110 years after it was sent. The carrier pigeon message will be displayed at the Linge Memorial Museum in remembrance of the battle between France and German with the 1918 Allied victory in World War I.

Photo:Webshot.