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| France in WWII: Did French bicycles have luggage carriers? | | Published by: jane 2009-01-08 |
| | Am trying to find the answer to a historical question about French
bikes for a novel to be published later this year.
Faced with a shortage of petrol during WWII, people in France
converted their bikes into velo-taxis and beasts of burden. I've heard
from one source that luggage carriers were attached to bikes so two
people could ride, but haven't found any photos. I've seen people
riding this way in India -- the man in front and perhaps a woman or
child sitting sidesaddle on the luggage carrier over the back wheel,
but I just can't confirm that such bikes and luggage carriers existed
in 1943 Paris. Please cite a print source or provide an archive photo
with information.
Best wishes and thanks in advance.
Unfortunately the very first link I gave you hasn't come out
highlighted all along, so you can't click on it. You'll need to copy
and paste the URL. Let me know if you have any trouble with this.
Leli
After my searches, I'm convinced that bikes with luggage carriers or
"porte-bagages" were common, but not newsworthy so that they aren't
featured in picture archives like the v lo-taxis.
Pictures
========
1938 bike with luggage carrier from an exhibition in Cantal
http://www.cantalpassion.com/images2003(2)/aout_2003/expo_cyclo_2003_22.jpg
from:
http://www.cantalpassion.com/semaine_cyclo_dans_le_cantal.htm
Belgian "evacuation bike", posed for an exhibition.
http://www.ormeignies.net/images/expo95-9.jpg
from: "Ormeignies se souvient (1940 - 1945)"
http://www.ormeignies.net/activites/index.htm
Bike for film of "Lacombe Lucien", set in 1944, made in 1974
http://nef-louismalle.com/images/lacombe2.jpg
from:
http://nef-louismalle.com/imagbank/lacombl.htm
This 1943 bike looks as if it has a luggage rack, but unfortunately
the picture's very unclear.
http://www.mairie-metz.fr:8080/METZ/ENVIR/ENVIR_COUV-ARMES2.html
There's even more of a problem with these stills from "La Bicyclette
Bleue", set in occupied France. Is that a luggage carrier on the back?
http://www.imavision.com/fr/eStore,wciCatalogue,Type-P,ID-984,LoadCat-1.html
http://www.2xmoinscher.com/DVD/detail.asp?id=8273&Coupon=utile&dvd=La%20bicyclette%20bleue
Personal anecdotes
==================
An accordionist took his wife on the luggage carrier when going to
play at a forbidden wartime dance in the mountains of central France.
"C' tait pendant la derni re guerre au centre de la France. Toute
r union publique tait interdite et les bals galement. Mais les gens
avaient envie de continuer danser quand m me et ils se retrouvaient
dans des granges perdues dans les montagnes. Un accord oniste jouait
pour eux. Il y allait en v lo, 10 km ou plus, sa femme sur le
porte-bagages et son piano bretelles en bandouli re.
[...]
Et une fois le bal fini, avec son v lo, sa femme et son accord on
derri re lui, par les chemins sinueux de la montagne, il rentrait la
maison..."
From the newsletter of the Breton accordion association, "Collectif
Accord on Diatonique de Bretagne"
http://www.cadb.org/Parole-9/
~~~~
Mother carrying son:
"Ma m re portait mon fr re sur son porte bagages"
http://www.microjo.net/textes/souvenirs.htm
From personal memoirs - list of contents at:
http://www.microjo.net/textes/sommaire.htm
~~~~
In Belgium in May 1940, a woman took her mother on the luggage carrier:
"Ma m re l'a emmen e sur son porte-bagages jusqu' Ransart"
Souvenirs de guerre d?un enfant de huit ans
by Andr GANY
http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/clham/050413.htm
On the website of the "Centre Li geois d'Histoire et d'Arch ologie Militaires"
Their home page is at:
http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/clham/index.htm
~~~~
In the postwar period, this mother often carried her son on her bike.
" . . . poque difficile o tu feras souvent, en bicyclette, ton fils sur le
porte-bagages, la route entre Lure et Magnoncourt."
From an obituary/article in an Alsace newspaper
http://www.payspresse.com/pdfs/02/11/10/pdfs/17.pdf
~~~~
And though this next anecdote comes from Utrecht, it's too dramatic to
leave out, as a woman about to give birth rides on the luggage carrier
while her husband pedals as fast as he can for the hospital.
"Utrecht, le 14 mars 1945, quatre heures du matin. Malgr le
couvre-feu ? c' tait toujours la guerre - mon p re a saut sur son
v lo sans pneus et a p dal aussi vite qu'il pouvait. Ma m re
tressautait sur le porte-bagages et se cramponnait lui."
From the website of Herman van Veen, singer, about his own birth.
http://www.hermanvanveen.com/fr/Ivw.htm
References to luggage carriers
==============================
"H.A. and Margret escaped on bicycle from German-occupied Paris, with
just their winter coats and several picture books (including a draft
of Curious George, then called Fifi) strapped to the racks."
http://www.geometry.net/basic_f_bk/4-h.html
~~~~
In La Seyne-sur-Mer in 1944, an orchestra's trophies were saved from
looting by being hidden in a crateful of vegetables under a demijohn
of wine, and transported on the luggage-carrier of a bike.
"Avec le maximum de pr cautions, j'entassai nos tr sors au fond d'un
cageot et les dissimulai sous des paquets de l gumes. Le chargement
sur le porte-bagages de mon v lo fut compl t par une petite bonbonne
de vin."
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/marius.autran/glossaire/seynoise/chapitre_7.html
~~~~
In 1940s France an artist only needed an easel on his luggage-carrier
to explain his movements.
"Il lui suffit d'arrimer un chevalet sur le porte-bagages de son v lo
pour justifier ses d placements. "
http://monsite.ifrance.com/edechambost/Tillon-Tandem.htm#velo
~~~~
Transmitter in a suitcase on a luggage-carrier in 1943-4:
"L' metteur tait dans une valise noire attach e mon porte-bagages."
http://membres.lycos.fr/codechamplain/histoire3.htm
~~~~
1940 bike with a sackful of clothes tied to the frame, and a suitcase
and another package strapped to the luggage carrier:
"Je ficelle ce sac sur le cadre de la bicyclette au-dessus du
p dalier. La valise et un autre paquet sont solidement fix s au
porte-bagages par des courroies de cuir. Le v lo est bien charg mais
qu'importe."
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fx.goutalier/120640.htm
~~~~
Wartime novel set in Normandy mentions a case on the carrier:
"Sa valise sur le porte-bagages arri re "
http://www.abebooks.fr/docs/ReadingRoom/Enigme/enigme1203.shtml
~~~~
1940 - a long journey with bag on the luggage carrier:
"Mon sac sur le porte-bagages du v lo, je roule. Paris est 500
kilom tres derri re moi, Cahors a cent kilom tres au Sud."
http://lug.linguist.jussieu.fr/lug/lug0.html
~~~~
I also came across these photographs of bikes with carriers from the
right period, but from England and Italy.
England 1945 bike
http://www.sharpos-world.co.uk/mainindx/uk/indx/new/nw98/page03.htm
Italy - from the film "The Bicycle Thief", made in 1948
http://www.film.queensu.ca/Critical/Photos/BicycleThief/BTBike.JPG
from:
http://www.film.queensu.ca/Critical/Bonikowski.html
I hope this patchwork of evidence suits your purposes, Shauna. Please
don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I could clarify, whether
it's a broken link, a French phrase or anything else. I'll do my best
to help!
Let me wish you very good luck with the novel - hope it's going well.
Best wishes - Leli
Searches were mostly varying combinations of these terms:
"sur * porte-bagages" "au porte-bagages" porte-bagages
v lo bicyclette
"guerre mondiale" "paris occup e" "france occup e"
1940 OR 1941 OR 1942 OR 1943 OR 1945 OR 1945
There may be more references to be found combing through these search results:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=paris+OR+france+%22sur+*+porte-bagages%22+1940+OR+1941+OR+1942+OR+1943+OR+1945+OR+1945&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta= RV Travel Mid America Windmill Museum Carhange Alliance Nebraska::
Another rare bicycle on display is the 1896 Schwinn Family Tandem, designed to carry two adults and a child in a special carrier between the riders.
http://www.gypsyjournal.net/articles.htmHOME |
Paris Escape::
The Conciergerie was “home” to Marie Antionette – she was imprisoned here during the French Revolution. Afterwards, we have time to look around Notre Dame
http://www.cetatour.com/9CPE.htmlHOME |
Thank-you very much!
I really enjoyed researching this - so many interesting stories - and
am glad you found my answer helpful.
Looking forward to seeing you around on Google Answers again - Leli
Dear Shauna
I'm in the UK and was working in my daytime! Although many researchers
are in North America, there are plenty of us scattered elsewhere round
the globe.
Just one more query, because I'm not sure I can provide the "specific
source citations, page numbers" you'd like. The anecdotes I mentioned
come from a personal website and a club website. There's also a
similar story from wartime Belgium on a local history association
website, but again it's a personal reminiscence.
I'm glad you came across Google Answers and hope we can help you with this -
Leli
Hello sbaldwin
I haven't been able to find a photograph of someone riding this way,
or even any clear-cut evidence about luggage carriers in Paris itself.
However, if you were interested, it should be possible to assemble a
collection of bits and pieces which would suggest luggage carriers
were common in France in that era.
So far I have a photo and various snippets from the web about luggage
carriers, including two anecdotes about people actually riding on them
in wartime France.
If you are interested in this kind of evidence, do let me know, and
tell me how much you would need for a satisfactory answer.
Thanks - Leli
If you visit the following archive photograph site:
http://www.roger-viollet.fr/principale.asp
click on the UK flag to access the *English* option, and carry a out
a simple search, entering the date parameters 1939 1946 and the word
bicycle, you should find almost, if not exactly what you are looking
for. There are several photographs in the archive of cycles being used
as taxis, with sidecars, trailers, and even one pulling a wheelchair!
Contact information for purposes is on the archives' home page.
I hope this helps.
Julie World War II Plus 55 - March 15 through March 21, 1942::
In New Zealand, car and bicycle tire shortages become apparent. commando training, and commences long-lead planning for the Allied invasion of France.
http://usswashington.com/worldwar2plus55/dl15mr42.htmHOME |
Many thanks for this wonderful assistance. I really appreciate it and
will be back with more questions.
Dear Leli:
This is my first time using Google Answers - just stumbled across it last night.
I'm delighted to hear from you and thank you so much.
I would need all of the items you mention:
1. the two anecdotes with specific source citations, page numbers etc.
2. The photo and snippets about luggage carriers.
These would bring me a satisfactory answer. Phew!
By the way - where are you located? You must have been working on this
last night. I'm so curious.
Shauna
Dear Leli: Personal reminiscence is acceptable if you could supply the
exact quotes with the URL for the personal website, the club website.
and the local history association website.
Thanks so much!
Cheers,
Shauna
Thank you, Juliek-ga!
 Suggestion for cool sorting options
 Unwanted bonus
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