OLt - SLt
Louis Guillaume Chevalier
Information about birth
|
Date of birth: 15/04/1888 |
|
Place of birth: Chénérailles, Creuse, France |
General information
|
Last known residence: Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France |
|
Profession: Magistrate at the Court of Auditors |
|
Religion: Roman Catholic |
Army information
|
Country: France |
|
Force: French Army |
|
Rank: Sub-Lieutenant |
|
Service number: 782 |
|
Enlistment date: 03/08/1914 |
|
Enlistment place: Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France |
|
Units: — 92e régiment d'infanterie (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 16/02/1949 |
|
Place of death: Paris, France |
|
Cause of death: Death post-war (unrelated) |
|
Age: 60 |
Distinctions and medals 2
Points of interest 5
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of wounding | ||
| #5 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Louis Guillaume Chevalier was born in September 1888 in Chénérailles, a fortified town in the Creuse at the foot of the Massif Central. He was the son of Pierre Chevalier, a traveling merchant, and Marie Antoinette Beauvais. Louis completed his military service in the 92nd Infantry Regiment in Clermont-Ferrand and left the army in September 1911 as a corporal. On August 3, 1914, the day before Germany invaded Belgium, he was recalled to the army with the régiment d’Auvergne. He was quickly promoted to adjutant and then to second lieutenant in September.
At the beginning of November 1914, the British front near Ypres was on the verge of collapse. The French sent reinforcements in haste. The 32nd Army Corps rushed from the Oise with two divisions, the 25th and 26th. The 92nd Regiment, part of the 26th Division, was also sent to Flanders to prevent a German breakthrough.
On November 12, events accelerated. French positions at Broodseinde, on the heights east of Ypres, were overrun. A breakthrough was narrowly avoided. French artillery, positioned in front of Zonnebeke at the foot of the ridge, continued to fire relentlessly on the crest, forcing the Germans to abandon further attacks.
On November 13, the situation remained critical, and the first three battalions of the 92nd Regiment — initially heading for Diksmuide — were rushed to Broodseinde. Lieutenant Chevalier’s section was part of the 9th Company of the 3rd Battalion.
“It is very difficult to move forward, because the roads are broken, muddy, and crammed with columns and troops… we pass a little outside the town, through a quarter that has suffered less.”
During a half-hour halt in the pouring rain:
“We take the opportunity to have a cold meal… we can see that our destination is the blazing hell ahead of us… and the many groups of wounded men who are coming back.”
At a field aid post in a house, Chevalier had hot tea and spoke with wounded soldiers, including Englishmen who warned him:
"The trenches are very dangerous and bullets come from all directions, not to mention the shells."
“At 2 o’clock we set off again… in the ditch we sink into the mud up to our knees.”
At the first houses in Zonnebeke:
"It’s terrifying; the shells explode without interruption… With each leap, the whistling of the shells makes me feel I will be pulverized. My section loses several men; the quartermaster and sergeant-major are wounded, and I myself received a strong blow near my right armpit; I can no longer move my arm."
“When leaving the village… we are so covered in mud that no one can guess the colour of our uniforms anymore.”
The 11th Company captured a German trench 100 meters south of the crossroads, but the 12th Company’s attack stalled after its commander was killed. The 9th Company was ordered to support the 12th and attack again toward Droogenbroodhoek and Keiberg, but it was repulsed by heavy machine-gun fire.
"I ran to my men, had them fix bayonets to their rifles, and shouting ‘Forward!’ I crossed the trench first. The entire section followed me admirably."
Chevalier was severely wounded during the assault:
“Hardly had I crossed the trench when I took three bullets in my right hand… then a shrapnel hit my left side; my leg was immediately paralysed and I fell… into a shell hole that probably protected me from many more projectiles.”
The counterattack of the régiment d’Auvergne retook the crossroads, but further advance eastwards was impossible. The regiment consolidated its positions at heavy cost: 51 dead, 273 wounded, 59 missing. Six officers, including the colonel, were killed; dozens more were wounded.
The 92nd Regiment remained at Broodseinde until November 20, enduring multiple attacks and counterattacks. Passchendaele, Zonnebeke, and surrounding hamlets were gradually destroyed, the front line moving back and forth until only the names remained.
Louis’ war was over. He then spent four years in hospitals and military care facilities, underwent multiple surgeries, and lost the use of his left leg. With a brace he could walk with difficulty; his right hand remained largely paralyzed. Despite his disabilities and constant pain, he led a dignified life, raised three children, and made a career at the French Court of Audit in Paris. In February 1949, exhausted by suffering and declining health, he ended his life.
At the beginning of November 1914, the British front near Ypres was on the verge of collapse. The French sent reinforcements in haste. The 32nd Army Corps rushed from the Oise with two divisions, the 25th and 26th. The 92nd Regiment, part of the 26th Division, was also sent to Flanders to prevent a German breakthrough.
On November 12, events accelerated. French positions at Broodseinde, on the heights east of Ypres, were overrun. A breakthrough was narrowly avoided. French artillery, positioned in front of Zonnebeke at the foot of the ridge, continued to fire relentlessly on the crest, forcing the Germans to abandon further attacks.
On November 13, the situation remained critical, and the first three battalions of the 92nd Regiment — initially heading for Diksmuide — were rushed to Broodseinde. Lieutenant Chevalier’s section was part of the 9th Company of the 3rd Battalion.
“It is very difficult to move forward, because the roads are broken, muddy, and crammed with columns and troops… we pass a little outside the town, through a quarter that has suffered less.”
During a half-hour halt in the pouring rain:
“We take the opportunity to have a cold meal… we can see that our destination is the blazing hell ahead of us… and the many groups of wounded men who are coming back.”
At a field aid post in a house, Chevalier had hot tea and spoke with wounded soldiers, including Englishmen who warned him:
"The trenches are very dangerous and bullets come from all directions, not to mention the shells."
“At 2 o’clock we set off again… in the ditch we sink into the mud up to our knees.”
At the first houses in Zonnebeke:
"It’s terrifying; the shells explode without interruption… With each leap, the whistling of the shells makes me feel I will be pulverized. My section loses several men; the quartermaster and sergeant-major are wounded, and I myself received a strong blow near my right armpit; I can no longer move my arm."
“When leaving the village… we are so covered in mud that no one can guess the colour of our uniforms anymore.”
The 11th Company captured a German trench 100 meters south of the crossroads, but the 12th Company’s attack stalled after its commander was killed. The 9th Company was ordered to support the 12th and attack again toward Droogenbroodhoek and Keiberg, but it was repulsed by heavy machine-gun fire.
"I ran to my men, had them fix bayonets to their rifles, and shouting ‘Forward!’ I crossed the trench first. The entire section followed me admirably."
Chevalier was severely wounded during the assault:
“Hardly had I crossed the trench when I took three bullets in my right hand… then a shrapnel hit my left side; my leg was immediately paralysed and I fell… into a shell hole that probably protected me from many more projectiles.”
The counterattack of the régiment d’Auvergne retook the crossroads, but further advance eastwards was impossible. The regiment consolidated its positions at heavy cost: 51 dead, 273 wounded, 59 missing. Six officers, including the colonel, were killed; dozens more were wounded.
The 92nd Regiment remained at Broodseinde until November 20, enduring multiple attacks and counterattacks. Passchendaele, Zonnebeke, and surrounding hamlets were gradually destroyed, the front line moving back and forth until only the names remained.
Louis’ war was over. He then spent four years in hospitals and military care facilities, underwent multiple surgeries, and lost the use of his left leg. With a brace he could walk with difficulty; his right hand remained largely paralyzed. Despite his disabilities and constant pain, he led a dignified life, raised three children, and made a career at the French Court of Audit in Paris. In February 1949, exhausted by suffering and declining health, he ended his life.
Sources 5
|
Bureau central des archives administratives du ministère de la Défense (Archives départementales de Puy-de-Dôme, R 3493 Vol. 2, n° 501 à 1000). https://www.archivesdepartementales.puy-de-dome.fr/ark:/72847/vta9cf1bcd7806d46d6/daogrp/0/274 Sources used |
|
Chevalier C., Premiere Bataille d'Ypres Octobre – Novembre 1914. Complément au journal de Louis CHEVALIER (2024). Sources used |
|
Cour des comptes: Dictionnaire historique, généalogique et biographique (1807-1947), ("CHEVALIER Louis Guillaume", consulted on 27.11.2025). https://www.ccomptes.fr/fr/biographies/chevalier-louis-guillaume Sources used |
|
Deseyne A., De vergeten winter 1914-15 (Wondelgem, s.n., 1983) 271 p. Sources used |
|
Journal de marches et d'opérations: 92e régiment d'infanterie (Direction des Patrimoines, de la Mémoire et des Archives, Paris (DPMA), 26 N 669/1). https://www.memoiredeshommes.defense.gouv.fr/ Sources used |