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[photo] Pilgrims from 1954

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Had to chuckle, before reading your caption I was thinking to myself "this is for all those that equate pilgrimage with carrying a backpack".

Was pleased to see that the gentleman from Holanda had his though.
 
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Thats a lovely photo, Ivar.
LTfit said:
Had to chuckle, before reading your caption I was thinking to myself "this is for all those that equate pilgrimage with carrying a backpack".

Was pleased to see that the gentleman from Holanda had his though.
Click to expand...

One has to look close see that lots of them have a backpack on. I wonder if this is before the hipbelt was found out, or if they carry day packs.
 
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It would be interesting to know where they started from, maybe as a group or individually, and if there where any albergues along the way. It could not have been easy as the world, and especially Europe was still recovering from WW2. When we moved to Gijón, Asturias in 1969 from Chicago, Illinois my parents remember feeling like they had gone back in time. Can't imagine what it was like on the camino in 1954. What an experience.
 
nellpilgrim said:
Fantastic photograph God bless them all they look as fresh as daisies. I've decided from now on it's a good tweed skirt and straw hat for me.
Click to expand...
My wife and I met an older French lady this year in a cafe while we were walking from Sarria, who was dressed in a floral house dress and sensible shoe/boots. I thought she was a local woman but Jane said she had spoken to her earlier and that she had walked from Le Puy. Goes to prove it does not all have to be high tech gear.
 
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What a wonderful photo. My original thought when reading the title of this thread was that it would relate to those pilgrims born in 1954, of whom I am one, and planning my second camino next year just after my 60th birthday. I can't think of a better way to mark the occasion (well, maybe I could, but it wouldn't be such a healthy exercise!)

.....Camino Frances with my daughter: http://magwood.wordpress.com
 
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Just to mix things up a bit, it is very possible that these pilgrims changed into their "Sunday best clothes" for the photo, since this is what people did back then. Furthermore, since they were about to enter the church there is more reason to believe that they changed out of their traveling clothes into some more appropriate for the church

Just a thought to consider
 
If you google this photo, some websites suggest a woman is in the photo:

"One of the woman (we do not know who on the photo) was René de La Coste-Messeleire that passed away in 1996. She was big promotor of the Camino from the 50's to the 1990's. She lead the pilgrim association in Paris for many years that was founded in 1950."

This might be incorrect. The person is actually a man by the name: René de La Coste-Messelière (author)

A short bio ...

René Frottier, marquis of Coste-Messelière ( 1918-1996 ), one of the founders of the revival of Saint Jacques's roads after second world war. Student in the Ecole des Chartes 1947-1950, boarder of Casa Velazquez in Madrid 1950-1952, he received a diploma from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Practical School of High Studies), curator in the National Archives in Paris from 1952 till 1986.
In the 1950's he joins the group of the founders of the Society of Friends of Saint James. In 1958, he is a copyeditor of the bulletin of the Society. After 1965, he succeeds Jean Babelon in the presidency of this same Society before creating, some years later, a Centre of Compostellanes stdies regrouping associative researchers and professionals.
In 1951 he is scientific councillor for the realisation of the film of the abbot Branthomme : Compostelle's road. From this time until his death he is often present on roads and, whilst encouraging the pilgrims, he organises (or participates in) several large exhibitions on the subject of Saint James, publishes articles on Saint James's roads and the ways of discovering and classifying them. From 1985, he is member of the group of Experts of the Road of Santiago with Galice's Xunta and works in the construction of Europe through the European Cultural Routes created on the initiative of the Council of Europe.
http://www.culture-routes.lu/php/fo_index.php?lng=en&dest=bd_no_det&id=00000023


And more...

Starting in 1960, René de La Coste-Messelière ensured the promotion of the Pilgrim's Guide by devoting dozens of articles to it. Inspired by the foregoing maps, he designed another, which he completed by placing a kyrielle of hospitals, chaplaincies, etc, all the charitable establishments dedicated to Saint James and even, carried away in his élan, all those which mention having received pilgrims. He was the originator of the placing of a plaque at the foot of the tour Saint-Jacques in Paris, a tower which he defined as «the first waymark fifty-eight metres high, marking the departure point for Compostela». The first yellow arrow waymark, soon followed by millions of others, more numerous than pilgrims. Ignoring the fact that the Guide was unknown in France in the Middle Ages, the media ended up imposing these towns as gathering points at the head of routes represented as historic.
http://www.saint-jacques.info/anglais/guide.htm

However ...

...what is most interesting is that René de La Coste Messelière maybe also known as Henry Roque....

Nobody remembers Henry Roque as René de La Coste Messelière knowingly concealed his role as initiator of rides to Compostela.Wanting to be the champion of Compostela in France, he could not accept a provincial commoner and the uneducated have preceded astride the roads to Santiago, he of noble ancestry, hispanic, the former Casa Velasquez.Then he stole the show, taking advantage of its Parisianism, its title and its degrees.
http://www.saint-jacques-compostelle.info/Henri-Roque-promoteur-de-Compostelle_a152.html

However looking over the photos I am not sure if Henry Roque or René de La Coste Messelière are in the photo
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Wonderful photos!
Regarding gear, I was quite comfortable in my hiking skirt this year. The only thing is you MUST wear leggings or boy-short type underwear so the thighs don't chafe. Otherwise, I loved the freedom, the breeze, and the comfort! I wore a Macabi skirt.
 
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Ivar - what a fan-bloody-tastic photograph. History is something we should all hold dear and if these "heros" of 1954 should be an inspiration to us all to attempt to complete some part of the Camino. One small question - whilst I have been to SDC I am having a bit of trouble locating the setting. Any suggestions??
Just had a thought - if you can determine the copyright/ownership - maybe it could go into a Camino calendar in a future time. Cheers
 
Interesting about you wearing "boy type" underwear under the skirt. This year I had some painful chaffing and resolved it by "going commando". As I was washing everything I wore every day anyway it made no difference (well actually one less thing to wash or carry). I apologise if this is too much detail.
 
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Was this taken after they had all just washed up after a meal ?

Peregrinación a Santiago de Compostela.
Fuente: Jaime Ruiz

Autor: desconocido

Fecha: julio 1948

Lugar: Arija.

Descripción: Peregrinación de los Jóvenes de Acción Católica de Arija a Santiago de Compostela.

Personas identificadas: De Arija acudieron a la peregrinación Francisco Ruiz, Luis Gómez, Luciano Caro, José Hermosa, Ignacio Hermosa, Jesús Marlasca, Emilio Rodríguez, Francisco Bustamante, Miguel Diez, Sigifredo Pérez, Saturnino Mantilla, Abel Escalada, Aureliano Castañeda, Irineo Barrio, Julián Diez, Jaime Ruiz, Pelayo Gómez, Cosme Montes, Daniel Diaz Argüeso, Hilario Lantarón, Francisco Roldán, Florentino Saez, Claudio Cossio.

Publicada: en la Exposición de 1997

Ficha proporcionada por: Josu Aramberri 08:28 20 sept, 2003 (CEST)
 
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This may have been a bus pilgrimage, it looks remarkably like a double decker ..
Peregrinación a Santiago de Compostela.
Fuente: Jaime Ruiz

Autor: desconocido

Fecha: julio 1948

Lugar: Arija.

Descripción: Peregrinación de los Jóvenes de Acción Católica de Arija a Santiago de Compostela.

Personas identificadas: De Arija acudieron a la peregrinación Francisco Ruiz, Luis Gómez, Luciano Caro, José Hermosa, Ignacio Hermosa, Jesús Marlasca, Emilio Rodríguez, Francisco Bustamante, Miguel Diez, Sigifredo Pérez, Saturnino Mantilla, Abel Escalada, Aureliano Castañeda, Irineo Barrio, Julián Diez, Jaime Ruiz, Pelayo Gómez, Cosme Montes, Daniel Diaz Argüeso, Hilario Lantarón, Francisco Roldán, Florentino Saez, Claudio Cossio.

Publicada: en la Exposición de 1997

Ficha proporcionada por: Josu Aramberri 08:28 20 sept, 2003 (CEST)
 
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The last photo on your link above is captioned
" Henri Roque et René de La Coste, Compostelle 1965"

great article jirit, thanks.
 
hahaha I remember seeing a similar photo on the "Overland Track Tasmania Australia" …. women who had hiked in snow in long skirts…….. WOW … TRUE pioneers !!!!! ……… THEY can do THAT…. soooo WE can do anything…. don't you think ?????
 
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stevenjarvis said:
The last photo on your link above is captioned
" Henri Roque et René de La Coste, Compostelle 1965"

great article jirit, thanks.
Click to expand...
Obviously I missed that last photo. So they were two different people but the 1965 ride into Santiago does agree with I had read on other sites.
 
The clothes look more like the 40's than 1965...
 
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Regarding the 1948 photo. It seems that the pilgrimage to Santiago was done by bus, with the economic and logistic support of the catholic organitation “Acción Catolica”.
Despite travelling by bus, i presume that when they arrived in Santiago they felt totally pilgrims, i don´t know if they were officially considered too. Going by bus from Arija to Santiago (400 kms), was a one or two long day and unconfortable trip throughout terrible roads. In fact, in those years everybody travelled only by train for long distances.
I 've been trying to figure out, how it would be doing by foot the Camino Frances in 1948. At this time, almost nobody had any interest in walking long distances. In most small villages throughout the Camino, there wasn’t any acommodation infraestructure appart from the school or the church. Many times the only water available was from public fountains and toilets were the field behind the bushes. Furthermore, In 1948, i guess that, in many places, untidy strangers wouldn’t be very popular for both locals and authorities, specially because there were still makis (antiFranco guerrilla) in the mountains, what obviously would make the pilgrimage rather unpleasant.
All that cons could explain that even in 1976 (Xacobeo year) the total amount of pilgrims was 241.
 
Pelegrin , thanks for that .
"All that cons could explain that even in 1976 (Xacobeo year) the total amount of pilgrims was 241." Hard to imagine .
 
Laurie Lee met a few long distance walkers in Spain when he did the same in the 1930's. Hospitality was second to none.

It would be possible to do this in retro gear. A good tweed suit, stout brogues, canvas knapsack and a hip flask should do the trick.
 
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Anybody have any information on how many walked during World War II?
 
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