The Duckboards of Camp Pontanezen

Life at Pre-Duckboard Camp Pontanezen

Camp Pontanezen was an immense American debarkation center built around six stone barracks buildings erected by Napoleon I. It was  located two miles north of Brest, which is on France's Peninsula of Finisterre. The depth and excellence of the Brest harbor caused it to be utilized far more extensively than any other French port for the arriving and departing troops of the AEF. In all, 791,000 men landed here in 1917 and 1918. The Doughboys passing through were treated to an array of discomforts, wallowing in the mud and sleeping in tents or poorly heated barracks. It rains most of the year at Brest, and the roads, firm underneath, were coated with slippery, semi-fluid mud which caused countless trucks to spin out of control and thousands of Doughboys to suffer wet feet.

The 1000-Acre Base at Its Peak

Meal Time at the Camp

Much sickness resulted.  Eventually, however, the camp was drained and otherwise made more comfortable and the vast numbers of troops who embarked there for return to the United States after the Armistice did not suffer as they had on landing in France. The individual most credited with cleaning up the 1,000 acre camp was a notable Marine and twice-Medal of Honor recipient named Smedley Butler. Promoted to brigadier general, he was assigned as the camp's commander in the fall of 1918. Upon arriving, Butler was appalled at the condition of the camp and determined to correct matters.He submitted numerous requests for duckboards, panels of  wooden slats joined together, so they could be used as sidewalks. However, even though a surplus supply of duckboards was sitting in a nearby port warehouse, he heard no response. He decided to take matters into his own hands.

The Benefits of Duckboarding

General Butler (rt) Being Decorated by General Pershing
(Note Butler's Shoulder Patch)

He marched a large formation of men to the warehouse to commandeer the duckboards and other supplies needed to improve the camp. As the story goes, Butler himself led the way back, carrying a duckboard back up the hill to Camp Pontanezen. His daring raid of the warehouse earned him the nickname "General Duckboard" and confirmed his reputation as a "soldier's general." Life at the camp improved immediately. The symbol of the duckboard was embraced by the troops and spread around camp, painted on various surfaces including the main gate. General Pershing even approved a duckboard shoulder patch for the camp's personnel and decorated Butler for his leadership. The improvements were so appreciated that permanent cadre named their camp newspaper The Pontanezen Duckboard.

Main Gate

Camp Pontanezen remained open until December 1919.

Sources:  Wiki Commons; Univ. of Michigan Library; Library of Congress: N.Dakota Inst. of Regional Studies