Open House In Flanders

[MJohnson]

The Baroness who lived in the La Motte Au Bois Chateau in the forest of Nieppe published her reminisences in 1929 . She became known as the " Mother of the British Army " as she hosted many of the Generals in particular General Allenby and his staff . The King and the Prince of Wales visited the chateau in December 1914 . She comes across as a lady with a lot of clout , Allenby providing a car for her to visit her son who was stationed near Rheims . I preferred Frances Wilson Huard's "My House on the Field of Honour " but for all that found it a interesting insight to her life in the chateau until its destruction in 1918 .

[Mic]

For your information, the La Motte au Bois Castle is still "alive" and houses now an aeronautical institute founded thanks to the Amaury de la Grange will. You can find some pictures on the following website : www.iaagepag.com

Amaury was the Baroness's son (Baroness Clementine was the author of this very interesting book Open House In Flanders). He was French Pilot during WWI.

For those who should be interested during a trip in North of France, I can manage easily (depending on my work load) a short visit of the Castle and its park where British rested as described in the book. Of course Castle and is surrounding has been a little bit modified since 1918 (a new roof type has been build). Just drop me an e-mail if you're interested : micbourgeois@<NOSPAM>free.fr (by removing of course the <NOSPAM> from the e-mail address).