The Travelling Woolen Soldiers of WWl

Visitors to the World Travel Market in London this week, have been privileged to see the Exhibition of this Woollen Army by the artist Délit Maille, who works in Northern France, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting during the First World War.   It is no coincidence that the miniature marching army is made of wool, for wool production was the mainstay of the war economy during the period 1914-1918 for clothing and equipment for the combatants and it is still central to the economy of some of the countries who fought during that war.

 Five hundred knitters from all over the world combined with the artist Délit Maille, to produce nearly 800 woollen soldiers of several nationalities, knitted in tribute to the millions who fought in the First World War.   It evolved from a Facebook appeal for volunteer knitters which had an instant response. The volunteers then received a package containing a ball of wool and precise instructions as to how to go about knitting their contribution, cardigans, hats, haversacks, boots, bags etc., after which groups of knitters met to assemble the items and give life to the little army they were creating.

It was felt that not only was the army an echo of the mixed bag of combatants thrown together by the war, but this meeting of knitters seemed somewhat akin to the evenings during the war years when women would meet together to knit ‘comforts’ for the soldiers serving far from home.

This Exhibition of The Woollen Army was previewed at the Musée de la Piscine de Roubaix in December 2014 (until April 2015) as part of The Farewell to Arms season dedicated to the centenary of the First World War, and was also seen in Paris in September 2015 during the European Heritage Days at the Grand Palais.  The aim is to show the army in as many different contexts as possible.

It is the first time that the Woollen Army Exhibition has been shown in the UK, and France (and Normandy Tourism) is to be congratulated for the wonderful display of these woolen soldiers on the WWl stand at the World Travel Market.  Although we cannot see all 800 of these woollen dolls due to space restrictions, there are 600 on view over a length of 12 metres.  These 600 woollen soldiers have been set up as though in a long march past, through the stands of the French Pavilion.

Rendezvousenfrance.com, the official website of tourism in France

Normandy Tourism: www.normandy-tourism.org

Comite Regional de Tourisme de Normandie, 14, Rue Charles Corbeau, 27000 Evreux, France.

Tel: 33(0)2 33 79 00