Sounds of patriotism and propaganda: the case of the church bell of Mar-quillies (département du Nord, France)

Abstract

ABSTRACT In late nineteenth-century France, church bells were an integral part of society, sounding the quotidian rhythms of life. During WWI, a shortage of metals for the war effort resulted in German authorities requisitioning church bells in Germany and occupied territories. While the sequestration of the only bell from the church L’Eglise Sainte-Geneviève in the village of Marquillies (France) occurred under this guise, this was an invented cover story in order to remove the bell as a war trophy to Berlin. Contravening the revised Hague Convention of 1907, the removal the bell occurred because, owing to texts inscribed onto the bell by both parties, it was a propaganda tool by the French community and German forces alike. As a unique political symbol of the tension in the Alsace-Lorraine region in the early twentieth-century, the bell serves as a case highlighting the political power of a communal religious icon.