What can you tell me about this Frenchman ?

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

while searching in my local Cemetery for the grave of a WW2 airman.

I chanced upon the old and damaged memorial for this Frenchman.

Aspiant Pilote ALBERT EDOUARD DeGUERRIER
14th September 1885.

Has anyone detailsof him and/or photo of the memorial before the damage was done ? as it would be nice to know what the top was.

Alex

[Andy Saunders]

1885?

Is this his date of birth? Or was he trying to beat the Wright Brothers?! Or was he a balloonist or some other kind of pilot?

[Alex Smart]

Thats just it Andy , hence my question.
It is date of death.
I have photo but it is too big in K to send to the page.
how to reduce size of photo from 700 down to 190 odd ?
Alex

[Amrit1]

Alex

can you give us the name of the cemetery. I cannot find the name in The Times, or anywhere else. Any additional info may help

A

[Alex Smart]

Hi,
It cannot be this Frenchman

GuerrierFrançoisFFC5Sop234, Spa77; all victories are balloons

as his death was before was before WW1
perhaps the WW! Baloon ace was a relation.
ref is WW1 aces on Air Aces homepage
Alex

[Amrit1]

I have resized the photos that Alex sent me:

[Andy Saunders]

I gather this is at Falmouth? And there is a Le Havre connection. Surely we must be talking about an "Aspirant" pilot of the nautical kind??? Unless he came a cropper when the sun melted the wax holding his wing feathers together, a la Icarus, whilst trying to beat the Wright Brothers to it!

[Alex Smart]

Hi Andy,

I wouldn't know, perhaps you are on the right lines.

Alex

[Ex Shack]

Hi Alex
From my "simple" French Dictionary- Aspirant can be a Military term for Cadet or Midshipman. Are we looking at a Trainee in Ballooning or did the French Navy have a function "Pilote" perhaps connected to Ship Navigation?
Regards
Dick