The webmaster enjoys “discovering” new places every time he visits the Meuse-Argonne; and this happened in November, when he discovered the Passé au Présent! militaria shop in Dun-sur-Meuse.

The shop is run by father, Jacques Mansy, and his son, Thibault Mansy; each with their own areas of specialization.  Jacques Mansy specializes in unit histories, old postcards and ephemera relating to WW1, WW2 and the French colonial wars.  Thibault specializes in military antiques, including helmets, U.S. WW1 items and knives and bayonets from around the world.  They also sell regional books about the history Lorraine.  The webmaster walked away with a few postcards and a book on the Germans in the Argonne written in French and German.

The father and son team speak French, English and German; so communication for non-French speakers is easy.

Technically, the store is open Thursday through Sunday from 10:30 – 12:30 and 14:30 – 18:30.  However, they will also open to visitors who ring at the front door or who call in advance:  09 60 46 98 52 or 03 29 83 99 53.

Their email address is given above; and they maintain a blog to keep people informed about promotions, etc.  Readers can subscribe at:  http://passeaupresentunblogfr.unblog.fr/.

The shop is at 6, rue de l’Ile; which is also the D998 running from Dun-sur-Meuse to Doulcon.  Readers are encouraged to drop in the next time they are in the area!