"I hope it ends soon"
An annotated account of Lewis B. Merrill's evacuation from France, September 1914
The journal of Lewis Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a portal to another world. The nearly daily accounts place readers at a hinge point of European history. In the summer of 1914, he was living and serving in Lyon, France, as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.1 Merrill regularly wrote journal entries about what he experienced, heard, or witnessed, often with some detail including dialogue. At the time Europe was ablaze with talk of war after years of political and military rivalry. The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in late June 1914, heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was the final straw.
Merrill’s attention is divided between his missionary purpose and the unavoidable implications of war. He captures moments such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s declaration of war on the Kingdom of Serbia (28 July 1914) and many of the subsequent developments. For the remainder of this article I will present his journal entries for the period from 28 July until his evacuation from France on 7 September.
Entries have been edited and sometimes clarified to improve readability.
Tuesday 28 July 1914
War is declared between Austria and Serbia. It looks like all the European nations will be involved. The French people are much excited. The streets are crowded and everybody has a extra telling the war news. My exchange will not take any more lessons for a moment. He is going to the country. Brother Anderson arrived from Paris today to take Brother Pearson’s place. Brother Pearson will be released next month, 10th August.
Brother Anderson was Carlos Ozroe Anderson of Annabella, Utah. Brother Pearson was Herschel E. Pearson of Draper, Utah. For the last month, since 28 June, the threat of war had been bubbling just under the surface. The assasination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a relatively minor event in and of itself. However, it was used by the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a pretext for war.
Latter-day Saint missionaries returned to France in October 1912 when the French Mission was reorganised.2 Growth was slow. Lyon, the city that Lewis served in, was one of the few places to have an organised congregation. The mission covered the French speaking areas of Europe which included France, and portions of Switzerland and Belgium. In May 1913 a ‘Conference’, later known as a ‘District’, was organised in Paris. The associated congregations were identified as Lyon, Troyes, Paris, Amiens, and Lille. Prior to that the Lyon branch was part of the Lausanne Conference.3 In 1912 it had a membership of 8.
Friday 31 July
They are passing out five franc bills and calling in all the gold and silver at all the banks on account of the expected war with Germany. They had a riot downtown last night. They have sentinels stationed at all important points it looks very much like war.
At this point all of Europe is in uproar at what was unfolding. Economic factors were almost certainly a concern for governments and by holding valuable metals could shore up their economy. On this day Germany sent an ultimatum to Russia to demand it demobilised. France, in turn, had hitched itself to Russia. As German and Russian relations plummeted the French prepared themselves for war.
Saturday 1 August
Several train loads of soldiers have left for the frontier. Bills have been posted all around saying that there would be a general mobilising of all the Frenchmen over 20 years old and under 48 years. This starts in the morning and lasts 15 days.
The mobilisation was primarily focused on the French reservists - those who had previously received military instruction and were aged between 24 and 38 years old.4 France had first introduced conscription in the late eighteenth century and in 1913, the "Three Year Law" was introduced.5 The law changed national service from two years to three in an attempt to boost the size of the French army to rival that of Germany's. Other countries had begun general mobilisations and it seemed as if a large scale European war was unavoidable.
Sunday 2 August
Lots of people on the streets, I and also the other brothers have been mistaken for Germans several times. Lots of parading etc.
A short entry. There is a noticeable absence of entries on Sundays, possibly due to being busy with church matters.
Monday 3 August
We went over to the police headquarters and spent about all day trying to get fixed up so we could stay here while the war was on. Everything is o.k. but if we stay after tomorrow we will have to have a special permit to walk out. Germany is on Belgium’s ground so poor little Belgium has to fight. So far Germany is on one side with Austria to help her, and France, Russia and Belgium is on the other. England has called all her soldiers under 55 years of age. Her fleet controls the English Channel. It is also understood she is against Germany.
In 1894, France and Russia entered into a millitary alliance with the intention of being able to counter Germany. Battle lines were drawn between the different European powers. England eventually came down on the side of France and Russia and declared war against Germany.
Wednesday 5 August
They posted signs the other day saying that tracting was forbidden so we haven’t done any this week. England has declared war against Germany. French soldiers sank a German battleship off the coast of Africa when it went to bombard a French town. Pearson is worrying about home. Brother Anderson and myself went downtown to read the news. While reading it a fellow with a cigarette kept sizing us up and talking to the police. After a while he came up very mysteriously and touched Bro. Anderson on the arm and told us to come out of the crowd a minute, when we were out of the crowd he said with a great effort “Are you British?” We said “American”. He said “What?” We said “Americans". He told us “It is all right.” Then turning to the bunch of police who had been watching very close he said in French, “It is all right.”
On the previous day, 4 August, the United Kingdom declared war against Germany. The UK had decided not to intervene when Belgium was invaded, but relations between the British and French was strong and when France entered the war the British followed them several days later.
Anti-foreigner sentiment is a common occurrence in periods of exception. Fears of infiltration, sabotage, or other nefarious deeds can result in an ‘othering’ process whereby ‘anyone who isn’t us must therefore be against us’. This mentality caused some difficulties for Latter-day Saint missionaries but for non-native persons generally.
Thursday 6 August
I walked down the Rhone Quay to the Exposition, was challenged by a soldier with a big gun guarding the rail road bridge, when I told him I was an American he saluted and said “Bravo, Bravo”, etc.
The exposition referenced in the entry was the 1914 World’s Fair, which was held in Lyon where Lewis was serving as a missionary. The fair was supposed to have functioned from 1 May 1914 until 1 November 1914, but it was severely affected by the war. The German and Austro-Hungarian pavilions were closed on 2 August and other pavilions shut long before November.
With the outbreak of war, French soldiers would have become an even more visible element. Defence of critical infrastructure would have been an important priority. Sabotage could delay the mustering or outfitting of armies and thereby cause disruptions to the war effort. No delay could be afforded to prepare for the inevitable battles.
Saturday 8 August
Yesterday I was on the Rhone Quay and a couple of men demanded to see my papers. Many take me for German, I guess it is on account of my clothes that have cuffs on the pants. Brother Anderson ran out of money this morning. I lent him 20 francs. His ought to be there but must be delayed on account of the war.
Security concern was heightened during the war, for obvious reasons. The Germans had invaded French soil and Belgium was under attack as well. Other missionary journals from the war note that the police and soldiers searched for spies. A missionary in Belgium was arrested and taken to jail by a mob for being foreign. He was released and told to stay off the streets. France appears to have had similar difficulties.
Friday 14 August
I have been challenged several times in the last few days by police and soldiers who wanted to see my papers. Brother Pearson has been sore at me because I wouldn’t believe that the water in a tank one foot across, was as great on the sides in pressure as in a tank ten foot across, the tanks both being the same height. Brother Anderson and myself both tried to get Brother Pearson to go see Sister Assode but on account of the tank full of water question he says no and that I am bull headed and won’t give in. He won’t give in for both of us and visit the sister who he knows well. She is on the war path also. It’s a bum joke but it seems to be all war in the whole European country. I hope it ends soon.
Here we see some of the personal disagreements between missionaries and a sense of general unease in society.
Saturday 15 August
We went to the big pet in Konner??? [unclear] of the Virgin Mary on the hill at Fourvière. We went to Madame Volgate and Madame the belle sister invitation [unclear].
Despite some of this entry being unintelligible it appears that Lewis visited possibly two women as well as the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a basilica occupying a prominent position on a hill overlooking Lyon.
Saturday 22 August
Brother Pearson left for Paris on his way to America. His trunk was too heavy so the railroad wouldn’t take it. Maybe the railroad will take it after the war is over.
Doh!
Monday 24 August
Brother Ballif and Pingree stopped off on their way to Switzerland. They told us that it had been decided to close the French mission and make it as it used to be, and that they were closing Paris for good also that all the men 2 years old were being released. We had a pleasant evening with the brothers and they left for Switzerland at 10 p.m. I started to visit Saints again with Brother Anderson as Pearson has left for America.
Those who had served two years were given an honourable release while those who had more time to serve were reassigned to finish their missions elsewhere, which appears to have been in the British Isles in most cases. George Baillif and Aaron Pingree were full-time missionaries who had only started their missions that year. They appear to have made their way to Switzerland before evacuating to England.
Tuesday 1 September
Got a telephone call from President Howells saying “Come to Paris quick, will sail from Liverpool September 16.”
The short entry suggests that Lewis and his companion, Elder Ozore Anderson, were busy making arrangements to leave Lyon. They were probably ruing the fact that Elder Herschel Pearson had left his trunk with them. During this time the two missionaries were probably packing and communicating with the Saints.
Wednesday 2 September
Been hustling ever since we got the telegram to leave. We went to pay the local rent and the fellow tried to stick us for four months rent, that is till December 20 but we paid him until September 20. He raised ———— and we got Sister Morand to go with us to see him as she could understand the French better. He had read an agreement made by Young saying that we had to give four months notice before leaving but when Sister Morand asked to see the agreement he said no and started to rave saying “Get out of here all of you!” Waving his hands like a maniac all the while. We got a cart and loaded Brother Pearson’s trunk, the table, and most of the chairs on it also all the tracts etc. that we could get out of the local and when we got about loaded here came one of the landlord’s office men who met me in the lower hall. He told me to take the things back but I just walked on and he got in front of me of course I had to shove him out of my way. Say [unclear] but he raved after we got loaded we went up to lock the hall. The fellow followed making lots of noise and getting in the way etc. He followed us inside so we shoved him out. He ran out the hall door and tried to lock us in but Brother Anderson got hold of him and spun him around so fast that the fellow’s hat blew down the stairs. Seeing we meant business he said “I don’t want to fight” and left with many threats. In as much as they wouldn’t show their contract I don’t believe they had one. We stored the chairs at 22 Morand in care of Sister Louise Morand. I have been told that no contract is good after the war broke out. The fellow tried to make us give him the key but we couldn’t see it as our rent is not yet up.
I can’t comment on the legalities and validity of contracts during a war, but it is quite clear that Lewis and his companion had a pretty significant obstacle to overcome as they tried to wind up operations in Lyon. The French landlord and his men did not want Lewis and his companion to leave without paying for longer. We don’t know for sure about any clauses, but the war undoubtedly would cause some financial concerns for people. Getting the Saints to pay for longer did not ultiamtely work out, however. What is clear is that Sister Morand was a central figure in the missionaries’ experiences in Lyon. She had been rebaptised in July 1914. Without her they would have had a much more difficult time. I’m looking forward to doing more research on Sister Morand in the future.
According to a notice posted in the Deseret News, the local congregation met at 33 Rue Vieille Monnaie, Lyon, which is pictured below.6
Thursday 3 September
Sister Morand put up some lunch for us and we bid all goodbye. Three were down to the station to see us off. Sister Louise Morand, Madame Niel, and Madame Volgate. We hurried on to the first train we came to and rode about two hours towards Marseiles when a young English girl began to talk to me and told me that she was going to Marseille. We spent the rest of the night getting back to Lyon and left for Paris on a slow train.
Madame Niel and Madame Volgate might have been friends of the Church or, using a dated missionary term, investigators. Sister Morand, as ever, was there to bid the elders farewell. Did the missionaries catch the wrong train? It isn’t clear why they would have headed south towards Marseille. Did the young English girl help them catch the error? Either way, it was the 3 September that they bid the Saints in Lyon farewell.
Friday 4 September
All along the line we met trains loaded with people to Switzerland or out of the war country. Most of the cars were box cars. The country was full of soldiers. All along the road you could see guards with their guns guarding all the main roads and challenging everybody.
Security continues to increase as does the suspicion that falls on foreigners. Many of the train carriages would have been utilised by the French government to transport troops. Slower trains using box cars would likely have been the best available to the missionaries who were looking for any form of transport to get to Paris.
Saturday 5 September
Arrived in Paris at 3:30 a.m. Sat around the station till 4.30 a.m. and left without giving up our tickets. I watched the grips [unclear] for almost three hours while Bro. Anderson went over to see if the boys were still in Paris. All had left but Bro. Howells and Curtis. We all left on the 6:30 p.m. train for Dieppe and arrived 3 a.m.
The journey out of France this far involved long and slow train journeys interspersed with hours of waiting. That evening, after a full day of waiting, they began making their way to the port town of Dieppe to leave the mainland.
Sunday 6 September
They ran an extra boat over to England at 3 p.m. which we took after leaving the boat at about 6 p.m. we got the boat train for London arriving 9 p.m. Put up at a hotel for the night, slept well as we hadn’t been to bed since September 2 of the same year.
At this point in the Merrill journal there is a date [“Sept. 6”] inserted between the lines from this entry to the previous one, which indicates a blurring of the dates. This most likely occurred due to the overnight travel from Paris to Dieppe on the 5th into the 6th. There must have been delays to cause the journey to take almost nine hours. Troop and equipment transportation would seem like a plausible explanation.
A postcard from 6 September 1914 is in the possession of the Merrill family. It reads: “Dear Mother, I leave for England this after noon. Dont know wheather I will be released or wheather I will work some where in U.S.A. Everything is going fine. Love to all. Lew.”
Monday 7 September
Found all the French missionaries at the Deseret house. Some had been appointed to labor in England and some had been released.
Lewis, like other French Mission missionaries, received an assignment somewhere in England. He was first assigned to Crowborough but less than a week later the assignment was changed to Brighton on England’s southern coast. He had made it to safety but that would not be the end of the risk. Zeppelin raids on English towns and cities could cause death and destruction.
Lewis finished his mission in the United Kingdom before returning home to Utah in April 1916.7 On his return to Sale Lake City he worked different jobs, including as a cement contractor, before establishing a mortuary in 1935.8 Despite the distance he stayed in touch with people he met on his mission and was concerned for them during the war. Lewis died at the age of 49 in 1937 leaving his English-born wife, Elsie, and nine children.9
‘Snap Shots,’ Salt Lake Telegram, 2 January 1914, p. 6.
‘Minutes of the organization of the French Mission, Oct. 15, 1912,’ MS 5450, bx. 1, fd. 1, CHL.
‘Paris Conference Report 14 May 1913,’ LR 6744 21, CHL.
Ian Sumner, French Poilu 1914-1918 (London: Osprey, 2009), pp. 10-13.
Sumner, p. 6.
‘Mission Addresses,’ Deseret News, 20 June 1914, p. 34.
‘Returned Missionaries,’ Deseret News, 22 April 1916, p. 34.
‘Everyone at Deseret an Expert,’ Deseret News and Telegram, 16 December 1961, p. 7B.
‘Death Claims L. B. Merrill,’ The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 February 1937, p. 34.