Recruitment and Basic Training in Toulon
The Marine nationale that Brucelle joined in 1913 was in a state
of transition as France tried to catch-up and keep pace with the growing
naval power of Great Britain and Imperial Germany in the European
context. Until the late nineteenth century, France possessed the second
largest navy in the world and extensive colonial possessions near and
distant from the metropole.11Brian
C. Chao, “’A brilliant second’: France as a naval great power”, eds.
Paul Kennedy and Evan Wilson, Navies in Multipolar Worlds: From
the Age of Sail to the Present (Abingdon, Oxon and New York:
Routledge, 2021), 32; Brooke J.
Schwanke, “La Marine Nationale: The French Navy’s Rise to Naval
Superiority in the 18th Century”, (MA thesis,
University of Nebraska, 2019). Due to political and financial
restraints, France fell behind in construction of newer type warships
and relative ranking. An assortment of dated battleships and armoured
cruisers comprised the majority of the fleet, and the first dreadnoughts
were only laid down in French shipyards during 1910.22Hugues
Canuel, “From a Prestige Fleet to the Jeune École: French Naval
Policy and Strategy under the Second Empire and the Early Third
Republic (1852-1914)”, Naval War College Review 71, no. 1
(Winter 2018): 110. A naval law introduced in 1912 signified a
commitment to build out the fleet in greater numbers over a projected
eight-year timeframe matched with increased authorized personnel
strength. Senator Pierre Baudin, minister of marine (January-December
1913) known for his anti-German views and radical politics, paid
particular attention to stepping up recruitment for manning the
expanding navy’s ships, over and above 47,000 personnel in
1912.33Journal officiel de la République française 21 (22
January 1913), 642; Ray Walser,France’s Search for a Battle Fleet: Naval Policy and Naval
Power, 1898-1914 (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1992),
219-220; Michel Moisan,
“Pierre BAUDIN (1863-1917): un radical-socialiste à la Belle
Époque”, (Ph.D dissertation, Université d’Orléans, 2009), 453-454.
The Marine nationale generally relied on a combination of
three-year conscripts from the navy’s allotment of the national draft
and volunteers enlisted from seafaring and industrial communities to
fill the ranks. Baudin expressly wanted to increase the proportion of
volunteers from untapped sources of recruitment in urban and rural
areas, to draw in young men of suitable aptitude. Such recruits finished
higher levels of formal schooling and considered the navy another
vocational choice alongside civilian employment.
Brucelle’s induction into the navy manifested this subtle policy change
and desire to broaden the appeal of naval service. A 1913 recruiting
pamphlet extolled the benefits of the navy: “The salaries of sailors
are much higher than those of the soldiers of the metropolitan troops
and colonials. The sailor’s ration provides a varied diet and includes
wine at all meals. Sailors acquire professional knowledge which is
useful to them after release and which make them sought after by
industrial establishments. Ships of the fleet are called upon to visit
the most diverse countries. Any re-engagement gives rise to the
provision of a pro-rated bonus depending on the grade and speciality of
the interested party. After 25 years of service, sailors are entitled to
a retirement pension.”44Marine
nationale, Engagements volontaires dans le corps des équipages
de la flotte (Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1913), 1. Volunteers had
to be unmarried, possess no criminal or morality convictions, display
good character, have good robust health, meet minimum height
requirements, and be over the age of seventeen. Application for a
contract required a birth certificate, endorsement of good conduct and
morals from the mayor in the place of domicile, and parental consent if
under the age of twenty. The Marine nationale enticed young men
like Brucelle at start of adult lives into voluntary service that
offered attractions in terms of competitive pay, stable employment with
training, and promise of adventure.
While no doubt important in the calculation, Brucelle also held other
reasons for leaving Paris and entering the navy. In the midst of a wider
economic recession, France’s gross domestic product per capita in 1913
was in the mid-range of European countries. Unemployment in the capital
city remained at significant levels. Most available jobs were low-paying
in service industries and factories, where hours were long and the work
hard. Brucelle’s mother raised three children alone on a working-class
wage in unhealthy employment conditions. She was frequently sick and
forced to miss work. His older sister, Louise, took up additional
outside work to support the family, and was also sickly. A close uncle
and aunt, to whom Brucelle felt affectionate, also helped since he was
one of their favourites.55Letter, 6 December 1913. The thought
of becoming a burden on his family weighed heavily on Brucelle, and he
constantly inquired about their health and wellbeing. As well, he was
disheartened by past romantic relationships, “and ridiculed by certain
young girls, something that moreover motivated my departure in the
fleet.”66Letter, 10 December 1913. Besides the push of general
economic conditions, personal circumstances convinced Brucelle that a
scenery change was probably worthwhile to get far away from the
associations of Paris. A notice in the mail that the nineteen-year old
was to report for sailor training in southern France at the main fleet
base in Toulon facing the Mediterranean satisfied the desire for a fresh
start.
Brucelle travelled by train, stopping over in Marseilles which he
visited for the first time with newly met friends to see the sights, and
then departed in another train along the sea to Toulon. The sunny warm
climate, palm and olive trees lining city streets, and mountain views
left a strong first impression: “I am delighted. For me it’s really
ideal. Although a bit hot.”77Letter, 20 May 1913. Toulon and
its naval establishments was the heart of the French fleet. The country
was divided into five administrative and operational maritime
prefectures, one through four along the Atlantic and the Channel with a
main base at Brest, and the last fifth centred at Toulon on the
Mediterranean coast.88Jean
Moulin, “France La Marine Nationale”, eds. Vincent P. O’Hara, W.
David Dickson, and Richard Worth, To Crown the Waves: The Great
Navies of the First World War (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press,
2013), 57-63. Under a 1904 diplomatic accord and naval arrangements
with Great Britain, the Marine nationale concentrated its main
units and warships there in the 1st naval army
(Armée navale ) commanded since August 1911 by Vice Admiral
Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère, a former minister of marine (July 1909-March
1911).99Geoffrey Miller,The Millstone: British Naval Policy in the Mediterranean,
1900-14, the Commitment to France and British Intervention in the War(Hull: Hull University Press, 1999), 309-319;
Paul Chack and Jean-Jacques
Antier, Histoire maritime de la premiere guerre mondiale(Paris: France-Empire, 1992), 31-32. An extensive shore establishment
steeped in tradition and practical functionality supported the fleet.
The 5th fleet personnel depot (dépot des équipages de la flotte )
was the starting-point for training, where Brucelle was assigned to the
11th company 3rd section as an
apprentice sailor. He recounted inauguration into the navy’s ways during
those initial days:
we returned to the depot, which is three-quarters an hour from the city,
and yesterday evening I slept for the first time in a hammock. I slept
as well as in a bed in our room. I see the coastal mountains on one
side, and on the other the roadstead. I’ll give you a description and
then tell you what my employment consisted of today. The depot is
magnificent. These are new buildings, all the modern conveniences. Huge
gardens where we walk, one would not really suspect being in a barracks.
Here finally, early this morning the wake-up which is done at 5:30 am,
we were called to be vaccinated and pass the check-up, then after the
clothing issue we were given all our effects. It was not long! Once all
dressed we went down to the courtyard for a sad ceremony. I attended the
degradation of a sailor in the presence of all the troops of the
garrison. Then naturally after the meal (we eat better than at home
Mother Brucelle). Don’t be upset my dear Mother. Be happy, don’t worry,
because I’ll be happy. The leaders are very kind. By being serious, one
can be the happiest of soldiers.1010Letter, 20 May 1913.
Apprentice sailors were housed together in separate rooms occupied by
members of the same company and roughly the same age. Hammocks were hung
at night and stowed with other kit during the day (Figure 1). Washing
facilities and bathrooms were shared.