Martinique during World War I
Martinique soldiers arrive in mainland France
Following the call to arms, the first soldiers arrived in April 1915, a year after the war had already begun. There, they would meet other Martinicans who had already been in mainland France to perform their military service in 1913.
It should be noted that Békés were also among the young men mobilized and that they also went to the trenches. However, they were more often exempted because of their status as business leaders, which meant that they needed to be present in Martinique.
Initially, the forces mobilized in Martinique were seen more as a reserve that would be called upon if necessary, which is why the Martinicans did not arrive until a year after the war began, as no one in mainland France imagined that the war would last so long.
Once they arrived in France, the Martinican soldiers were assigned to the south of the country or North Africa to continue their training. They were then sent to warmer regions to fight in climatic conditions more similar to the tropical climate. Every effort was made to ensure that they left in the spring or summer and not in the winter, as those already there could not stand the cold.
They were integrated into units with other French soldiers from mainland France. There was no overseas battalion. This was because they were French citizens and no distinction was made between French people from mainland France and those from the colonies.
Once they were assigned, the difficulties began for the soldiers. They felt that their superiors did not want them, due to their poor physical condition caused by the food shortages in Martinique before their departure, but above all because of their lack of training. They were also often poor soldiers, having not received sufficient training compared to soldiers from mainland France, who had been trained for nearly three years. Some were reportedly subjected to abuse and bullying by their superiors.
The population, which was “discovering” Black people for the first time, was astonished by them.
Living conditions in the trenches
Living conditions in the trenches are deplorable. Soldiers alternate between long periods of boredom and brief moments of terror. They must remain constantly on guard because death lurks around every corner and the enemy gives no warning of when it will attack.
Rats and lice were part of everyday life for soldiers. Rats were attracted by the food in the trenches, and their presence contributed to the spread of disease. Lice ruined the moments when soldiers could finally get some sleep. They were identified as the cause of the fever that was prevalent in the trenches.
Unsanitary conditions and the climate meant that disease was common. Frostbite caused by the cold could lead to gangrene, and the only solution was amputation.
The soldiers' days began at dawn when they were awakened by the cry of “all hands on deck” to guard the trenches. Attacks usually took place in the morning. If there was no attack, they would gather for inspections and receive their lunch and their daily ration of rum.
Afterward, they had to tackle chores such as cleaning and filling the sandbags in the trenches. They spent most of their day in the trenches to avoid being targeted by enemies lurking nearby. Only at night, when all was peaceful, did they finally leave the trenches to repair barbed wire and... build new trenches.
They had free time day and night to enjoy their hobbies. They just had to make sure that the tasks assigned to them were completed. Their hobbies mainly consisted of reading, gambling, or writing in their diaries or letters.
In fact, letters were the only way for them to stay in touch with their families back in Martinique, and they wrote to them frequently to keep them informed about their new life thousands of miles away. However, the letters still did not reach their recipients. While some letters were read in public or published in the press, censorship was at its peak and letters that were too depressing were discarded.
Food shortages
During World War II, life was very difficult. The island, which had devoted most of its agricultural land to growing export crops, mainly sugar cane, lacked food staples. In addition, food shipments from mainland France had become scarce. Food rations were therefore limited and many Martinicans suffered from malnutrition.
Cod, which was a staple food, was difficult to transport due to the low number of maritime rotations. France, which was Martinique's main supplier, could not afford to share its food resources given the extreme conditions on its territory.
Price increases are inevitable. Everyday consumer goods such as bread and sugar have doubled in price. According to the Bulletin d'Histoire:
Sugar has risen from eight sous to sixteen... cod prices have not fallen, meat is unaffordable for the poor, and now fish is becoming expensive due to a shortage of fishermen, many of whom have been called up for military service.
There was a shortage throughout the island of Martinique, particularly in Fort-de-France and in certain rural towns with poor connections to the capital.
However, the shortage was brought under control thanks to existing food reserves. From the outset of the war in Europe, the Governor took measures to ration food supplies by hoarding them and setting maximum prices to prevent any increase in prices.
The Minister of Colonies had taken measures to ensure that supplies continued despite the war, because in the event of a shortage, speculation could have caused a sharp rise in prices. But it was also out of concern for social peace. He believed that in the event of food shortages, social tensions would arise, whereas the population needed to remain mobilized.
Supplies were functioning well and every effort was being made to ensure that the population could obtain food at reasonable prices. So in 1916, the Governor did not hesitate to intervene to prevent speculation on the prices of cod, salted fish, and beef.
In June 1917, he acknowledged the shortage linked to “slower transport and high freight costs,” which was largely since the United States, one of Martinique's largest suppliers during the war, had also entered the war.
Flour, which was in high demand, was requisitioned from stores, and other products were rationed.
Subsequently, it became clear that it was necessary to increase vegetable cultivation, but could the authorities count on the wealthy landowners who had enjoyed their heyday thanks to sales of rum and sugar? They doubted it. So they had to fall back on state-owned land and experimental gardens to try growing peas, white and pink beans, and potatoes. Other solutions included paying subsidies to small farmers to grow fruit and vegetables and finally subsidizing Crédit Agricole, which undertook to grant long-term loans to promote the production of food crops.
Unfortunately, all these efforts were unsuccessful due to a lack of manpower, with most men engaged in the war in mainland France, food theft, the low profitability of these secondary crops, and the limited amount of land that was ultimately devoted to this project.
Local life during the war
The women who “stayed behind” rallied together and played a supporting role for their husbands, fiancés, brothers, and cousins who were fighting the enemy in Europe. They organized events to raise money to send to them, and comforted them by sending letters and other local treats. Faced with a shortage of labor because many men were engaged in the war, they were asked to join the men who had remained on the island to work in the fields.
Despite the planters’ enormous profits, agricultural workers’ wages did not increase. The cost of living, however, had risen—but in the name of the “union sacrée” (national unity), they refrained from striking. Other professions were less patient: in 1917, dockworkers and boatmen went on strike, forcing the Governor to call in the army to unload cargo ships. Nevertheless, strikes remained relatively rare given the workers’ living conditions at the time.
Locally, national unity was the order of the day, and the island experienced no major social or political conflicts.
Carnival and patron saint festivals were banned. In their place, patriotic celebrations were held, aiming to rally the local population unwaveringly around love for the nation and full support for France’s wartime cause.