Gilles Lagin in his office in Marigny-en-Orxois near Belleau Wood

The house, on the left, where M. Lagin now lives, as it was in 1912. On the right is the old covered market, which dates to the 16th century. At the end of the street can be seen the iron gates of the Marigny chateau which was used as a hospital during the First World War and where, on the night of June 1, 1918, Marine muleskinners from the 6th Machine Gun Battalion made camp after a long day's march from St. Souplets and watched the French wounded come in by truck-loads.

In December of 1997 I received a letter from historian David C. Homsher regarding Gilles Lagin, and, as I can think of no better introduction to the work of this dedicated young man, I will take the liberty of quoting a generous portion of it here. Mr. Homsher also published an article on M. Lagin in the June 1998 issue of the Marine Corps Gazette.

Mr. Homsher writes:

"I and a number of other Americans, including officers and historians of the U.S. Marine Corps, have had the extraordinary experience of having a young, and extremely knowledgeable French historian take us over the American battlefields in the Marne Salient of 1918. This area includes the town of Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, Torcy, Belleau, Bouresches, etc., and covers the battlefields of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 26th, 28th, 32nd, and 42nd American Divisions, ranging from the vicinity of Chateau-Thierry and northwards to the Ourcq and Vesle Rivers during the Aisne-Marne Defensive and Aisne-Marne Offensive campaigns in June, July and August of 1918. M. Lagin knows them all extremely well.

It is my feeling that the knowledge and services of this dedicated French historian should be brought to the attention of as many Americans as possible. The young historian's name is Gilles Lagin, and he is all of thirty-three years old. Gilles is totally dedicated to the memory of the American Expeditionary Force which fought in his area of France, and in particular to the U.S. Marine Corps and its actions in Belleau Wood, Hill 142 and Bouresches. For the last ten years he has assiduously studied the A.E.F. combat actions in the vicinity of Chateau-Thierry, and ranging up to the Ourcq and Vesle Rivers. M. Lagin is a battlefield historian who knows the American battlefields very well, where the units fought and what happened in each area, down to the location of unit foxholes!

U.S. Marines from SHAPE in Belgium, led by Colonel William T. Anderson, about to begin a battlefield tour from the square in Marigny. M. Lagin's house is on the opposite side of the square, partially obscured by the bus. A corner of the old covered market is visible on the left.

The considerable extent of M. Lagin's knowledge of American operations in his area is now slowly becoming known to French historians and officials. Just this year, M. Lagin was invited to speak on A.E.F. operations at an official ceremony in the little town of Bezu-le-Guery, a few miles west of Chateau-Thierry. In June and July of 1918, the church and school in the town of Bezu were the site of an American Army field hospital. In June of this year, the grandson of Colonel Richard Derby, head surgeon at the field hospital, returned to Bezu and presented the mayor of Bezu with a check to the amount of five thousand dollars to be used to restore the old church. As a result of this speech-making effort, Gilles Lagin is being invited to speak about American military operations and battles during the Eightieth Anniversary Ceremonies of the Marne Salient battles to be held in Chateau-Thierry in June and July of 1998. M. Lagin should receive the utmost in encouragement from both the French and American peoples regarding his efforts to educate people in France concerning the actions of the Americans in 1918.

So dedicated to the American Doughboy and his cause in France is M. Lagin, that his greatest hope is someday to open a museum dedicated to the A.E.F. in his home town of Marigny-en-Orxois, just a few miles away from Belleau Wood.

Another service which Gilles Lagin wishes to offer to any Americans who had a father, grandfather, or other relative in his area of France, is that of preparing (for a small fee, of course) a personalized file of the particular Doughboy's or Marine's service in the Marne salient (Aisne-Marne Defensive or Offensive campaigns). This file would contain personalized information, together with an abstract of his unit history, and photographs of the places, woods, and villages where the soldier/marine stayed in or fought. The folder would also contain applicable maps and all other information which would enable interested Americans who cannot personally go to France, to find out where their relative stayed, was wounded, or died, in the Marne salient. Gilles has all of the pertinent American unit histories and unit personnel rosters to enable him to do this sort of genealogical/historical research.

M. Lagin is also able to provide his services as a guide on the American battlefields, and with his four-wheeled drive vehicle. Gilles can take historians and other interested persons into Belleau Wood and other battle areas and show them sites which are extremely interesting. Many of the areas are on private property and so are accessible only to a ‘man of the country' such as M. Lagin. Gilles speaks English and is a very accomodating young man who will assist visitors in making hotel, B&B or other accomodations while they are in France."

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Gilles Lagin and Marines from the Basic School at Quantico, at the Marine Corps Memorial in the heart of Belleau Wood.

This letter was written in December of 1997. Since then M. Lagin has given his speech for the 80th Annivesary of the Battle of Belleau Wood, and also mounted an extensive museum-quality exhibition of the battle in the Town Hall of Belleau for the Anniversary Observances. Photographs of the exhibition can be seen elsewhere on this site.

In his acknowledgements for his new history of the USMC in World War I, Devil Dogs, The Fighting Marines of World War I, historian George Clark says of Gilles Lagin, referring to the battlefields in and around Belleau Wood, that "no one knows that ground better."

Recent organizations which have hired M. Lagin as a guide during their visit to the Belleau Wood area include Marines from the Marine Barracks, Washington D.C.; from the Basic School, Quantico; the School of Advanced Warfighting, Quantico; Military Historical Tours; the TBS School of Quantico; and the Circle Royal of the Officers of the Belgian Army.

Those who are interested in hiring Gilles Lagin to research a relative who fought in the Belleau Wood / Chateau Thierry region may fill out a form at his website. Anyone wishing to secure his services as a guide, or to make a contribution to his Belleau Wood Museum fund, may email him directly.

M. Lagin has recently received an estimate from a contractor for completely renovating the barn on his property to make it suitable as a museum, and the figure is $36,600. It should be noted that, when not doing research, giving speeches or leading battlefield tours, M. Lagin works as a mechanic. Without contributions, needless to say, it will be difficult for M. Lagin to bring the museum into existence. Anyone wishing to help perpetuate the memory of American soldiers who fought and died in France in 1918 could do worse than to support such a worthy effort.

B.Omanson
Scuttlebutt & Small Chow

If you would like to contibute to the Belleau Wood Museum Fund contact Gilles Lagin.

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