1924 FRENCH AEROSTATION MILITARY BALLOON GOOD CONDUCT CERTIFICATE VERSAILLES SGT For Sale

ITEM DESCRIPTION

Today we are pleased to offer this original 1924 French military aerostation certificate, a large illustrated “Certificat de Bonne Conduite” issued at Versailles on September 15, 1924 for Sergeant Gordon Pierre of the 1er Régiment d’Aérostation. The certificate is filled out in manuscript and typescript, stamped, signed, and headed by a striking printed design reading “Aérostation Militaire, 1er Régiment,” with military flags, wreath, helmet, and a large lower aviation scene showing a tethered observation balloon over a landscape. The lower imprint reads Paris, Imp.-Lib. L. Fournier, and the printed illustration is signed and dated 1919 in the plate.

The text identifies Lieutenant-Colonel Pataut as commander of the 1st Aerostation Regiment and certifies the good conduct of Sergeant Gordon Pierre, born November 1, 1902 at Fronsac, Haute-Garonne. These French “bonne conduite” certificates were given at the close of active military service and were important personal documents, often retained as proof of honorable service. This example is especially attractive because it is not a plain form, but a decorated aerostation certificate tied directly to France’s military balloon branch in the years after the First World War.

French military aerostation had deep roots reaching back to the Revolutionary period, when captive balloons were used for battlefield observation, and it remained an important military specialty into the early twentieth century. During World War I, observation balloons were used for artillery spotting, enemy-position observation, and communication between the ground and the air. The large “saucisse” style captive balloon shown on this certificate reflects the post-1914 visual language of French observation ballooning, particularly the Caquot-type balloon form associated with wartime reconnaissance and artillery direction.

Versailles was closely connected with French military aviation and aerostation. Balloon equipment, aviation training, and aeronautical units were all part of the French military presence in the Versailles region before the independent Armée de l’Air was created in 1934. This certificate therefore sits in a particularly interesting interwar moment, after the heavy use of observation balloons in World War I but before French air forces were fully separated from older army aviation structures.

Physical condition is good overall for a fragile, roughly 100-year-old military paper certificate, but it does show the expected age and handling wear. The sheet has overall toning, scattered light foxing and discoloration, surface wrinkling, handling creases, and multiple old fold lines, including a horizontal fold across the central text and a vertical fold through the sheet. The upper right edge has a noticeable area of tearing, chipping, and paper loss extending into the outer margin, with additional small edge tears, small chips, soft corners, and minor marginal splits elsewhere. There is a diagonal crease at the upper left corner, some waviness to the paper, and several darker age spots and handling marks, mostly around the margins.

The printed and manuscript areas remain legible, including the unit heading, decorative balloon artwork, date stamp, official stamp, and signatures. The paper is thin and somewhat translucent, with show-through visible from the opposite side, along with additional age toning and fold wear on the reverse. There are no large losses affecting the main certificate text, though the upper right margin loss and general creasing are plainly visible. Make sure to see the photos above for complete details.

1 page.

Measures approximately 12 inches tall by 8 inches wide.

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