View source for Poilu

{{Short description|Historical slang for French infantrymen}}
{{italic title}}
{{Expand French|topic=mil|Poilu|date=May 2014}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2019}}
[[File:FrenchTrenchWWI--nsillustratedwar03londuoft.jpeg|thumb|{{lang|fr|Poilus}} in a trench]]
'''{{lang|fr|Poilu}}''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|w|ɑː|l|uː}}; {{IPA|fr|pwaly|lang|audio=Fr-poilu.ogg}})<ref>''Dictionnaire canadien / The Canadian Dictionary'', [[McClelland & Stewart]], Toronto, Ontario, 1962.</ref> is an informal term for a late 18th century–early 20th century French [[infantry]]man, meaning, literally, 'hairy one'. It is still widely used as a term of endearment for the [[French Army in World War I|French infantry of World War I]]. The word carries the sense of the infantryman's typically [[Rural|rustic]], agricultural background, and derives from the bushy [[moustache]]s and other facial hair affected by many French soldiers after the outbreak of the war as a sign of masculinity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kempshall |first1=Chris |title=Le Poilu |url=https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/le_poilu |website=International Encyclopedia of the First World War |access-date=15 July 2022}}</ref> The {{lang|fr|poilu}} was particularly known for his love of [[pinard (wine)|pinard]], his ration of cheap wine.<ref name="NoraJordan2009">{{cite book|author1=Pierre Nora|author2=David P. Jordan|title=Rethinking France: Les Lieux de Memoire, Volume 3: Legacies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LMsrAQAAIAAJ|date=15 August 2009|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-59134-6|page=217}}</ref><ref name="Prestwich1988">{{cite book|author=Patricia E. Prestwich|title=Drink and the politics of social reform: antialcoholism in France since 1870|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EG8AAAAIAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Society for the Promotion of Science and Scholarship|page=172|isbn=978-0-930664-08-4 }}</ref> 
 
[[File:Alone at last2.jpg|thumb|''Journée du Poilu. 25 et 26 décembre 1915'' ({{Translation|The {{lang|fr|poilu}}{{'s}} holiday, December 25 and 26, 1915}}).  French [[World War I]] poster by [[Adolphe Willette]] about a {{lang|fr|poilu}}{{'s}} Christmas leave from the front.]]
The image of the [[Wiktionary:dogged#Adjective|dogged]], bearded French soldier was widely used in propaganda and war memorials.<ref>[http://centenaire.org/fr/tresors-darchives/carte-postale/la-representation-du-poilu-dans-les-cartes-postales La représentation du poilu dans les cartes postales] {{in lang|fr}}</ref> 
The stereotype of the {{lang|fr|poilu}} was of bravery and endurance, but not always of unquestioning obedience. At the disastrous [[Second Battle of the Aisne|Chemin des Dames]] offensive of 1917 under General [[Robert Nivelle]], they were said to have gone into [[no man's land]] making [[Sheep#Vocalisations|bleating]] noises—a collective bit of [[gallows humour]] signalling the idea that they were being sent as lambs to the slaughter. Outstanding for its mixture of horror and heroism, this spectacle proved a sobering one. As the news of it spread, the French high command soon found itself coping with [[1917 French Army mutinies|a widespread mutiny]]. A minor revolution was averted only with the promise of an end to the costly offensive.

The last surviving {{lang|fr|poilu}} from World War I was Pierre Picault. However, French authorities recognised [[Lazare Ponticelli]]—who had served in the French Foreign Legion as an Italian citizen—as the last {{lang|fr|poilu}}, as he was the last veteran whose service met the strict official criteria.<ref>[http://dersdesders.free.fr/france.html "France, derniers poilus de la Guerre 14-18"] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>  Lazare Ponticelli died in [[Le Kremlin-Bicêtre]] on 12 March 2008, aged 110.<ref>[http://www.nysun.com/national/last-french-world-war-i-veteran-dies-at-110/72831/ "Last French World War I Veteran Dies at 110"], (13 March 2008) ''The New York Sun'',  Retrieved on 2008-03-19.</ref>

==See also==
*''[[A Very Long Engagement]]'', a French film in which {{lang|fr|poilus}} are featured
*''[[Verdun: Visions of History]]'', a silent French film about {{lang|fr|poilus}} in the Battle of Verdun
*[[Digger (soldier)|Digger]], referring to Australian and New Zealand soldiers
*[[Doughboy]], referring to American soldiers
*[[Mehmetçik]], referring to Ottoman soldiers
*[[Tommy Atkins|Tommy]], referring to British soldiers

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book
 | last             = Barthas
 | first            = Louis
 | title            = Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914–1918
 | translator-last  = Strauss
 | translator-first = Edward M.
 | trans-title      = Les Carnets de guerre de Louis Barthas, tonnelier: 1914–1918
 | publisher        = [[Yale University Press]]
 | pages            = 426
 | year             = 2015
 | orig-year        = 1st pub. [[François Maspero|Maspero]]:1978
 | language         = French
 | isbn             = 978-0-300-21248-8
 | url              = {{Google books|YknuoQEACAAJ|plainurl=y}}
 }}

{{World War I War Memorials in France}}

[[Category:French Army]]
[[Category:Military history of France during World War I]]
[[Category:Military slang and jargon]]
[[Category:French military personnel of World War I| ]]


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