Rare Witness To The Arch Military Interne Camp In Switzerland 1940

Rare and very beautiful wooden cane carved and engraved by a soldier interned in one of the Swiss camps in 1940. The pommel of the cane represents a dog's head (a few worm bites). It is inscribed on the cane: "souvenir of the Arch-Suisse military intern camp September 1940. The Hague Convention of 1907 on the rights and duties of neutral powers in the event of war on land, provided in particular for the possibility for States neutrals to welcome armies belonging to the belligerent States, as well as escaped prisoners of war. In June 1940, during the French debacle and a few days before the signing of the armistice, the 45th French Army Corps, strong of 43,000 men, was admitted to Switzerland where he was interned in camps under the responsibility of the Swiss military authorities. A Polish division which had around 10,000 men and which had been formed in France, was also part of this army corps. It will be able to remain in Switzerland until the end of the conflict. However, the 30,000 French soldiers will return to Vichy France in January-February 1941, following negotiations between the Pétain government and the Germans. There were around 350 camps in Switzerland containing 150 to 500 French and Polish internees. Sources: -https://www.cairn.info/revue-revue-d-histoire-de-la-shoah1-1998-2-page-25.htm -https://international-review.icrc.org/sites /default/files/S1026881200006875a.pdf