The Battle of Champagne in September 1915. Adrien Henry seriously wounded, 35 of his 38 soldiers killed.
A remarkable aerial reconnaissance photograph taken on 10 September 1915 over the battlefield, most likely near Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, the location of the 161e RI's attack. It probably shows the German trenches, with the first line, second line and communication trenches clearly visible.
Present-day landscape at the site of the 40th Infantry Division's attack. One can understand why there were so many casualties on this nearly flat terrain.
On this photograph, note the cross marking the precise point of his platoon's attack. At the bottom, the French lines; at the top, the Germans. The small white dots are shell impact craters.
During the attack, 35 of the 38 soldiers in Adrien Henry's platoon were killed.
Through research on family documents and maps, it has been possible to pinpoint with considerable accuracy the location of the 4th Company's attack.
The hospital in Paris where Adrien Henry was treated. Cutting short his convalescence, he was determined to rejoin his regiment at the beginning of 1916, as it was fighting in his home region, at Verdun.
Today, one can pay respects at the monument to the Armies of Champagne, at the very site of the Navarin Farm. Adrien Henry fought a few kilometres further west, near Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand. This monument holds the remains of over 10,000 soldiers.