Army

First World War Officer's Bedroom Frozen in Time

A First World War Officer's bedroom has been immaculately preserved since his death in 1918. Hubert Rochereau, a French dragoons officer commemorated for his heroic actions during the First World War, had his room left untouched after a request from the parents of the young officer made in 1935. Their one wish was to keep Hubert’s room exactly the way it was the day he left for the battlefront - a fact stipulated in the sale of of the estate.

The bedroom not only acts as a memorial to their son but as a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people from that era. It features a needle-lace bedspread embellished with antique photographs and Rochereau’s feathered helmet.

Rocheareau fought and died gallantly on the battlefields of Flanders, an area which saw some of the fiercest fighting of the First World War. His heroic acts were recognised posthumously with a Croix de Guerre, the French equivalent of being mentioned in dispatches, for his courage and bravery on the battlefield.

Hubert Rocheareau's bedroom acts a snapshot of his life before fighting for the Allies in Loker. The family's estate stipulated that the room must be kept this way for 500 years.