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Louis Raoul de Sorbiers de la Tourasse
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 30/03/1894 |
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Place of birth: Le Vésinet, Seine-et-Oise, France |
General information
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Last known residence: Le Vésinet, Seine-et-Oise, France |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
Army information
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Country: France |
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Force: French Army |
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Rank: Private Second Class |
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Service number: 5533 |
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Enlistment date: 15/09/1914 |
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Enlistment place: Versailles, Seine-et-Oise, France |
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Units: — 156e régiment d'infanterie (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 19/12/1914 |
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Place of death: Defy Crossing, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Louis Raoul was born in March 1894 in Le Vésinet, a residential town in a bend of the Seine River, west of Paris. He was the son of Joseph de Sorbiers de la Tourasse and Gabrielle Engelhard.
On 15 September 1914, he was called up for military service and assigned to the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 156th Infantry Regiment. In early November 1914, the British front in Flanders was on the verge of collapse. French reinforcements were rushed in. The 20th Army Corps came to the rescue from the Ancre region with three divisions: the 11th, 39th, and 43rd. The 156th Regiment, part of the 39th Infantry Division, was also sent to Flanders to help prevent a German breakthrough.
By mid-November, the offensive had stalled. Major assaults ceased, but artillery bombardments and skirmishes to slightly improve positions became routine. On 18 December, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 156th Regiment moved from their rear positions, via Sint-Juliaan, to the front line to relieve other French units. During the night of 18–19 December, the 2nd Battalion took up positions near the railway crossing between Keerselaarhoek and Nieuwemolen, on the ridge east of Zonnebeke.
On 19 December 1914, 20-year-old Louis Raoul de Sorbiers de la Tourasse was killed. To this day, he has no known grave.
The 156th Infantry Regiment remained active in Zonnebeke and the Ypres Salient until 14 April 1915, when it was relieved by troops from the British Empire. As the war continued, Passchendaele, Zonnebeke, and the surrounding hamlets—such as Keerselaarhoek and Nieuwemolen—were gradually destroyed. These places were captured and recaptured by the Allies and Germans several times until only their names remained.
In March 1915, Louis Raoul was officially declared dead in his hometown of Le Vésinet. Lieutenant Emmanuel Joseph Bonneaud of the 156th Regiment stated to the municipality that it had been impossible to reach the young soldier’s body in order to bury him.
To this day, Louis Raoul has no known grave.
On 15 September 1914, he was called up for military service and assigned to the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 156th Infantry Regiment. In early November 1914, the British front in Flanders was on the verge of collapse. French reinforcements were rushed in. The 20th Army Corps came to the rescue from the Ancre region with three divisions: the 11th, 39th, and 43rd. The 156th Regiment, part of the 39th Infantry Division, was also sent to Flanders to help prevent a German breakthrough.
By mid-November, the offensive had stalled. Major assaults ceased, but artillery bombardments and skirmishes to slightly improve positions became routine. On 18 December, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 156th Regiment moved from their rear positions, via Sint-Juliaan, to the front line to relieve other French units. During the night of 18–19 December, the 2nd Battalion took up positions near the railway crossing between Keerselaarhoek and Nieuwemolen, on the ridge east of Zonnebeke.
On 19 December 1914, 20-year-old Louis Raoul de Sorbiers de la Tourasse was killed. To this day, he has no known grave.
The 156th Infantry Regiment remained active in Zonnebeke and the Ypres Salient until 14 April 1915, when it was relieved by troops from the British Empire. As the war continued, Passchendaele, Zonnebeke, and the surrounding hamlets—such as Keerselaarhoek and Nieuwemolen—were gradually destroyed. These places were captured and recaptured by the Allies and Germans several times until only their names remained.
In March 1915, Louis Raoul was officially declared dead in his hometown of Le Vésinet. Lieutenant Emmanuel Joseph Bonneaud of the 156th Regiment stated to the municipality that it had been impossible to reach the young soldier’s body in order to bury him.
To this day, Louis Raoul has no known grave.
Sources 4
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État Civil 1792-1916 (Archives départementales des Yvelines, Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines) https://archives.yvelines.fr/ Sources used |
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Journal de marches et d'opérations: 156e régiment d'infanterie (Direction des Patrimoines, de la Mémoire et des Archives, Paris (DPMA), 26 N 669/9). https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/ Sources used |
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Registres d'incorporation militaire de Seine-et-Oise (Archives départementales des Yvelines, Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines). https://archives.yvelines.fr/ Sources used |
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s.m., Le Quinze-Six pendant la Grande Guerre (Paris, Imprimerie Berger-Levrault, s.d.), 68 p. Sources used |
More information 2
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=b512a4b8-12d6-48e8-841c-d233e7d3c4cb |
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Mémoire des Hommes https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/ark:/40699/m00523a0113e1593 |