Ballons Montés of the Siege of Paris in 1870-71

Throughout history, there have been remarkable stories of the postal service, and the determination of its operators during conflicts and war. One such example involved the Siege of Paris in 1870-71, where balloons mainly constructed in the unused Paris train stations of Gare du Nord and Gare d’Orleans were used to transport mail.

Ballons Montés during the Paris Siege of 1870-71

During the Franco-Prussian War (September 1870 - January 1871), Paris found itself under siege, with communication to the outside world completely cut off due to severed telegraph lines and captured, or in some cases killed, couriers. To solve this dire problem, an inventive solution emerged. The Minister of Posts, noticing that several balloon pilots were stranded within the besieged city, proposed the use of "ballon monté" (manned balloon flights) to deliver messages via the skies.

Most of these balloons were constructed in unused train stations like Gare du Nord and Gare d’Orleans. The stations’ height and space made allowed “the cotton fabric balloons to be hung up, inflated and checked for leaks before their one-way flight out of the city”.

In total, 67 manned flights left the besieged city, transporting 160 people and approximately 380 carrier pigeons, and delivering around 3 million pieces of mail—most of which reached their intended destinations. Astonishingly, about 60 pigeons returned to Paris, carrying vital messages and plans on microfilm.

The typical flight covered about 180 miles, with most balloons landing in France or neighbouring Belgium. However, not all missions went smoothly: one balloon mistakenly landed in Munich, where its occupants were swiftly captured, while another ended up in Norway after an epic 1,000-mile journey, eventually being rescued at sea. A Further story, In November, the 27^th Balloon of the seige,  the Balloonists savoured a bottle of fine wine, thus resulting in the creation of ‘First class Air travel’; once the bottle was finished a not so polite message was placed inside and dropped on the heads of the unsuspecting Prussian soliders.

This fascinating chapter in philately offers a wealth of unique and unusual destinations, with letters making their way to distant places like the Cape of Good Hope, Malaya, Mauritius, Japan, and Panama.

The value of the ‘par ballon monte’ letter will depend upon the condition, with examples sent to very scarce destinations commanding high figures, as well as items from journals and certain Paris newspapers. Examples include Le Gaulois, which, in large format and in excellent condition, can command £10,000.00 each. A full list of pricing and variations are listed in the recently updated 2^nd Edition Stanley Gibbons France Catalogue.

Purchase at auction

The items pictured here are listed reflect just a few of these remarkable journeys. This selection of five entries form “an interesting group in a variety of conditions”.  All are addressed to the Dordogne comprising of 1870 (29.9) ‘Celeste’, (19.10) ‘Lafayette (aka Republique Universselle), (16.12) ’Parmentier', (21.12) Lavoisier on printed ‘JOURNAL-POSTE’ and 1871 (18.1) ‘General Bourbaki’. To purchase the set visit Lot 532 in Baldwin’s Auctions upcoming Stamps & Covers of The World Auction taking place on the 28^th and 29^th of August 2024.

Boules de Moulins

The Stanley Gibbons France Catalogue also describes other extreme methods of postage used during this time. Including the attempt to transport mail via Boules de Moulins. This method was attempted in January 1871, with letters encased in a zinc ball (about the size of footballs) for transportation along the River Seine. Letters were to be marked ‘Paris par Moulins (Allier).’ From time to time, there are still Boules de Moulins that are discovered through the River Seine.

A Boule de Moulins exhibited at the Army Museum (on loan from the Postal Museum). France-Germany(s) exhibition, 1870-1871, The war, the Commune, memories. April 13-July 30, 2017.

Pigeongrammes

As you will have read the Balloons used during the siege contained homing pigeons. Detailed within the Stanley Gibbons France catalogue is a short description of this method.

“Most of the balloons which departed from Paris carried baskets of homing pigeons, and the birds were used to bring messages back to the besieged city.” At first, the messages were handwritten on flimsy paper and carried singly. By mid-October 1870, official dispatches from the Government Delegation in Tours were type-set and reduced onto photographic paper, enabling the pigeons to be used more efficiently…It is estimated that in the course of 59 successful return flights (some pigeons made the journey more than once), more than 2,500,000 official dispatches and private messages on microfilm were brought back to Paris by the pigeon post.”

To order the Stanley Gibbons 2nd Edition France Catalogue please visit the link below

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