Free Republic

Rochereau's books are arranged in neat piles on the mantelpiece, his collection of sabres hangs on a wall, and his bed is still covered by the same lace spread as when, nearly a century ago, he left home for the last time. A vial on the desk sports a label saying it contains "the earth of Flanders in which our dear child fell and which kept his remains for four years". On his bed the medals he was awarded for bravery, the croix de guerre and the Legion of Honour, are displayed in a glass case next to his képi...