Mangin (General) 1Arrival and reception
Mangin (General)
Account of the visit to Funchal in November 1921 of the French general Charles Mangin, a defender of Verdun, who came to attend the transfer of the remains of the sailors of the gunboat Surprise, torpedoed in Funchal harbour, back to France.
1Arrival and reception
General Carlos Maria Manuel Mangin, one of the defenders of Verdun, arrived in Funchal aboard the cruiser Jules Michelet on 26 November 1921, shortly after 9 in the morning. He was greeted on board by the Civil Governor and the Military Commander, and came ashore shortly after half past 10 at the quay at the entrance to the city. At the start of the quay stood a handsome triumphal arch made of box, bearing on its south side the words ‘Viva a França’ (Long live France), with the national flag at either end and, in the centre, a trophy formed of four French flags and one Portuguese flag.
It was beside this arch that the Civil Governor, the Military Commander, the President of the Council, the officers of the garrison and other officials received the General and escorted him to the Palácio de São Lourenço (St Lawrence Palace), where he stayed for some time. They all then set off for the Cathedral (Sé Catedral), where solemn funeral rites were to be held in honour of the French sailors killed when the gunboat Surprise was torpedoed in the harbour of Funchal.
2Honours and departure
Military honours were paid to the general both at the quay and as he left the fortress of São Lourenço by a detachment of the 27th Infantry Regiment (infantaria n.º 27) under the command of a captain. In honour of General Mangin, a dinner was given on the 26th at the palace of São Lourenço by the Civil Governor, and on the 27th a tea was held at Terreiro da Luta (‘ground of the fight’), given by the Military Commander. The general made several excursions around Funchal and visited the Diocesan Prelate on the 26th, immediately after the funeral rites. On the 27th the general gave a gala dinner aboard the cruiser Jules Michelet, attended by the authorities and other official figures.
The general joined the procession that accompanied the remains of the sailors of the Surprise from the Angústias cemetery to the Cais da Pontinha (‘little point’). He had come to Funchal to attend their transfer aboard the cruiser Jules Michelet, which left the port of Funchal for France on the 28th at 7.30 p.m.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 01Place
Places mentioned · 07
Abroad
- Angústias Cemetery
Funchal. Cemetery from which the sailors' remains were taken.
Funchal municipal cemetery, which grew from a small Misericórdia burial ground of 1818 and was built in 1836–38. It has a carved basalt portico, a mortuary and a 1917 monument to the victims of the German bombardment. The 2nd Count of Carvalhal and Dean Andrade are among those buried there.
- Cais da Pontinha
Funchal. Quay where the remains were embarked.
The Pontinha quay in Funchal, built in 1876–78 and improved with the breakwater works. It was the landing place of notable visitors including the Empress of Austria and the Unknown Soldier's remains in 1921, and the terminus of a water supply for shipping.
- France
Destination of the cruiser carrying the remains.
France is a country where several Madeirans fought and died in the First World War, including Gabriel Rocha de Gouveia and João Paulo da Veiga Pestana. It was also a place of study, of exile and of refuge for Madeirans. It was the origin of the expedition behind the Saque dos Franceses and the intended destination of the fugitives in the Machim legend.
- Funchal
City where General Mangin landed and was received.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Funchal Cathedral (the Sé)
Funchal. Cathedral where the requiem for the French sailors was held.
The Sé do Funchal is the cathedral of Funchal, in the parish of Sé. It was begun in 1493, became a parish seat in 1508 and a cathedral in 1514. It was the starting point of processions and the place of the vow to São Tiago, and bishops are buried there.
- São Lourenço Palace
Funchal. Palace-fortress where the general was received and dined.
The Palácio de São Lourenço, the governors' palace-fortress in Funchal, was the scene of beija-mão ceremonies, receptions, balls and dinners, and of the 1861 exhibition. The Elucidário records a great fire there in 1699, a natural history museum in 1850, and an attempt by soldiers to enter it in 1829. The Teatro Grande stood opposite it.
- Terreiro da Luta
Funchal. Site of a luncheon given by the military commander.
The Terreiro da Luta is a scenic site in Monte parish at 850 m, where legend places an apparition of the Virgin. From 1912 it was the terminus of the Monte railway, with a restaurant, and official lunches for distinguished visitors were held there. It has a bronze statue of Zarco and the monument to Nossa Senhora da Paz, inaugurated in 1927.
People
People mentioned · 01-
French general and one of the defenders of Verdun, who visited Funchal in November 1921 to attend the repatriation of the Surprise sailors' remains.