Reims Gallery

General view of church ruins at Perthes-les-Hurlus, a former village of 151 inhabitants

General view of church ruins and the altar at Perthes-les-Hurlus, a former village of 151 inhabitants in 1914, seen November 3, 2015. The village is now largely covered by woodland and is located inside the Camp de Suippes, near Reims, France. Badly damaged headstones from the pre-war cemetery stand nearby the church. During World War One many French villages were destroyed, some never to be reconstructed because they were heavily damaged or because the nearby fields contain unexploded munitions, mines, explosives and artillery shells. The Camp de Suippes, opened in 1922, is a French Army training area for live artillery firing exercises, and closed to the public. The camp includes five damaged villages, with their churches and cemeteries that are overgrown with vegetation. Picture taken November 3, 2015. REUTERS/Charles Platiau TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Wright Machine

1st August 1909: Paul Tissandier's Wright Biplane at the Reims Aviation Week, with tail number 4 and its launching pylon and rails. He performed the first flight of 1 hour in France on 20th May 1909 and the first FAI speed record of 34 mph. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

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Great French Military manoeuvres witnessed by Tsar Nicholas

The Franco-Russian alliance of 1892 established privileged relations between France and Russia. Reciprocal protocol exchanges and visits were organised and Tsar Nicholas II was invited to the great manoeuvres of the East. Staying in Compiegne, he visited the north of Reims on 21 September 1901 and was welcomed by President Emile Loubet. The imperial delegation witnessed a vast deployment of 120, 000 men in the Betheny plain and the fort of Fresne-les-Reims concluded the demonstration with a spectacular attack, as shown on this postcard to mark the event. This card was actually sent on the day of his visit from Montmirail (which lies just to the south west of Reims). Date: 1901

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection