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Campaign to preserve World War One memorial cafe

Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Trust A rectangular building is seen with a tiled roof, on which silouhettes of soldiers are pictured with backpacks, poppies at their feet, and in front a memorial to those who lost their lives, as well as the flags of Guernsey and France. Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Trust
The Cafe at La Rue Verte in Masnieres, Northern France, marks the site where 453 Guernsey soldiers were left dead, missing or wounded in 1917

A mission has been launched to preserve a derelict cafe in France which gave shelter to Guernsey soldiers during World War One.

The cafe at La Rue Verte in Masnieres, Northern France, was the site where, in November 1917, the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry (RGLI) held off a counter-attack from German forces in Masnieres, near Cambrai, allowing other British units to retreat safely.

It is believed more than 400 men from the RGLI were either killed, wounded or went missing during the battle.

The RGLI trust said it had negotiated the sale and raised funds to buy the derelict building and now aimed to raise £350,000 to preserve "Guernsey's most important building outside the island".

The trust said it would add a "modern footprint" behind the building's "historic face" to create a cultural and educational centre to "secure ties" with the communities in France who "shared those dark times".

It said the centre would provide accommodation for students and visitors from Guernsey as a "truly inclusive historical asset for all".

Pledges from some benefactors had already been received and relatives, friends and islanders were able to offer donations recorded on behalf of loved ones who served, it said.

Sister memorial

"We are also making it possible for members of the public to join the newly formed RGLI Association and become members as part of this journey," the trust added.

In 2017, a memorial was placed at the cafe to remember the men who died on or near the site.

The memorial records that a regiment of the British Army, from the Channel Island of Guernsey, defended this road in November 1917 during the First World War.

A sister memorial was unveiled in St Peter Port's Sunken Garden.

Each year on the Sunday nearest 30 November, at each memorial, there is a service of remembrance for those who gave their lives.

In 2018 the organisation twinned Masnieres with the Parish of St Peter Port and, following Covid, began an annual student exchange programme.

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