Pierre Marie Gabriel Malleterre (30 April 1858 - 26 November 1923) was a French general of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Biography

Born in Bergerac in

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named af ...

, he was admitted into the

École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...

in 1878, studying for the infantry. He campaigned in

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and

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from 1880 to 1885, then returned to Saint-Cyr, teaching until 1899. He served as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the 46th Infantry Regiment from 1910 to 1914, but was wounded on September at Vassincourt during the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

, which required the amputation of his right leg. Promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in 1915, he was named to the prestigious posts of director of the

Musée de l'Armée The Musée de l'Armée (; "Army Museum") is a national military museum of France located at Les Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is served by Paris Métro stations Invalides (Paris Métro and RER), Invalides, Varenne (Paris Métro ...

and governor of the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

, serving in both posts until his death in 1923. He was entombed in les Invalides with its other former commandants. While at the hospital, his wife Charlotte Malleterre (sister of his friend Gustave Léon Niox, who previously served as governor) provided the initial impetus for what is now known as the

Bleuet de France In France, the bleuet de France is the symbol of memory for, and solidarity with, veterans, victims of war, widows, and orphans, similar to the Commonwealth remembrance poppy. The sale of "bleuet de France" badges on 11 November and 8 May is used ...

. Malleterre was also author of a number of works on

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

and

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

, primarily concerned with the

References

Sources

Dossier on the Légion d'honneur of général Malleterre.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malleterre, Gabriel People from Bergerac, Dordogne 1858 births 1923 deaths French generals Recipients of the Legion of Honour French military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni