2-359-978 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Henri Gouraud, French soldier, playing billiards, 1895. Gouraud (1867-1946) first came to prominence in French Sudan in the 1890s, where he succeeded in capturing Samori, leader of the resistance to the colonisation of the region by the French. Promoted to general in 1911, he fought in the First World War, losing an arm at Gallipoli. His 4th Army played a vital role in halting the German advance at the Second Battle of the Marne in July-August 1918. A photograph from Album de Photographies dans L'Intimite de Personnages Illustres, 1860-1920, 6th album, Editions MD, Paris.