Pierre Roques

{{More citations needed|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox military person | name = Pierre Auguste Roques | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1856|12|28}} | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1920|2|26|1856|12|28}} | birth_place = [[Marseillan, Hérault]], [[France]] | death_place = [[Saint-Cloud]], [[France]] | image = Pierre Auguste Roques.jpg | caption = Portrait published in [[L'Illustration]] during the First World War. | nickname = | allegiance = {{flagicon|France}} [[France]] | service_years = | rank = [[General]] | commands = [[First Army (France)|First Army]] [[Fourth Army (France)|Fourth Army]] | battles = [[World War I]] | awards = [[Légion d'honneur|Grand cross of the Légion d'honneur]] [[Médaille militaire]] | relations = | other_work = | module = {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes | office = [[Minister of War (France)#Third Republic|Minister of War of France]] | term_start = 16 March | term_end = 12 December 1916 | president = [[Raymond Poincaré]] | prime_minister = [[Aristide Briand]] | predecessor = [[Joseph Gallieni]] | successor = [[Hubert Lyautey]] | office2 = [[:fr:7e division d'infanterie (France)#Les chefs de la 7e DI|Commander of the 7th Infantry Division]] | president2 = [[Armand Fallières]] Raymond Poincaré | term_start2 = 9 April 1912 | term_end2 = 18 August 1913 | 1blankname2 = [[Minister of War (France)#Third Republic|Minister of War]] | 1namedata2 = [[Alexandre Millerand]] [[Albert Lebrun]] [[Eugène Étienne]] | 2blankname2 = [[Chief of Staff of the French Army#Third Republic|Chief of Staff]] | 2namedata2 = [[Joseph Joffre]] | predecessor2 = [[Tell Aristide Frédéric Antoine Chapel]] | successor2 = [[Edgard de Trentinian]] | office3 = [[12th Army Corps (France)#World War I|Commander]] of the [[12th Army Corps (France)|12th Army Corps]] | president3 = Raymond Poincaré | term_start3 = 18 August 1913 | term_end3 = 5 January 1915 | 1blankname3 = [[Minister of War (France)#Third Republic|Minister of War]] | 1namedata3 = Eugène Étienne [[Joseph Noulens]] [[Théophile Delcassé]] [[Adolphe Messimy]] Alexandre Millerand | 2blankname3 = [[Chief of Staff of the French Army#Third Republic|Chief of Staff]] | 2namedata3 = Joseph Joffre | predecessor3 = Auguste Charles Lucien Pelécier | successor3 = [[:fr:Henri Jean Descoings|Henri Jean Descoings]] | office4 = [[1st Army Corps (France)#World War I|Commander]] of the [[1st Army (France)|1st Army]] | president4 = Raymond Poincaré | term_start4 = 5 January 1915 | term_end4 = 16 March 1916 | 1blankname4 = [[Minister of War (France)#Third Republic|Minister of War]] | 1namedata4 = Alexandre Millerand Joseph Gallieni | 2blankname4 = [[Chief of Staff of the French Army#Third Republic|Chief of Staff]] | 2namedata4 = Joseph Joffre | predecessor4 = [[Auguste Dubail]] | successor4 = [[Olivier Mazel]] | office5 = [[1st Army Corps (France)#World War I|Commander]] of the [[4th Army (France)|4th Army]] | president5 = Raymond Poincaré | term_start5 = 31 December 1916 | term_end5 = 23 March 1917 | 1blankname5 = [[Minister of War (France)#Third Republic|Minister of War]] | 1namedata5 = Hubert Lyautey [[Lucien Lacaze]] (as interim) [[Paul Painlevé]] | 2blankname5 = [[Chief of Staff of the French Army#Third Republic|Chief of Staff]] | 2namedata5 = Joseph Joffre [[Robert Nivelle]] | predecessor5 = [[Émile Fayolle]] | successor5 = [[François Anthoine]] }} }}

'''Pierre Auguste Roques''' (28 December 1856 – 26 February 1920) was a French general and creator of the French air force.

==Biography== Born to a modest family in [[Marseillan, Hérault]], his lively intelligence earned him a study grant that allowed him to prepare for the entrance examinations to the [[École Polytechnique]]. He entered the École Polytechnique in 1877 and became a friend of [[Joseph Joffre]]. Having chosen the military engineering branch of the army he was commissioned as an officer in 1879 (at that time, more engineering than military). During his colonial campaigns, he created a vast number of structures (railways, bridges, roads) in [[Tonkin]], [[Algeria]] and, above all, in [[Madagascar]]. According to historians, this island owes a large part of its infrastructure to Roques. By 1906, Roques had been promoted to the rank of [[brigadier general|''général de brigade'']].

As Director of Engineering, Roques was preoccupied from 1906 with the management of the new air service. He was the founder and organiser of French military aviation, and was appointed the Permanent Inspector of Military Aeronautics in 1910. The 1911 aeroplane contest in [[Reims]] - the world's first - was intended to allow the French military to evaluate and buy 'scientifically' its first aeroplanes. Roques decided the ''établissements d'aéronautique'' (aeronautical establishments) should be called ''escadrilles'' (squadrons) and ''aéroplanes'' should henceforth be called ''avions'', after the name chosen by [[Clément Ader]] for his own aircraft and in homage to this visionary engineer with whom he corresponded regularly. It was also Roques who initiated the ''carnet de vol'' (pilot's log book) system, still in use today. The names introduced by Roques quickly came to be generally accepted as part of the French [[lexicon]].

At the outbreak of the [[First World War]], he was the commanding general of the [[12th Army Corps (France)|12th Corps]]. By January 1915 he had become the commander of the [[First Army (France)|First Army]].

Roques was appointed Minister of War in March 1916 after it had been ensured that the Commander-in-Chief [[Joseph Joffre|Joffre]], who had been criticised by the previous incumbent [[Joseph Gallieni|General Gallieni]], had no objection to his appointment.<ref>Doughty 2005, p285</ref> Roques was sent on a fact-finding mission to [[Salonika front|Salonika]] after Britain, Italy and Russia had pushed for the dismissal of [[Maurice Sarrail|Sarrail]], the theatre commander. To the surprise of Prime Minister [[Aristide Briand|Briand]] and Joffre, Roques returned recommending that Sarrail's forces be built up to thirty divisions ready for an attack on Bulgaria. He did not specifically praise Sarrail, but recommended that Sarrail no longer report to Joffre. Coming on the back of the disappointing results of the [[Battle of the Somme|Somme campaign]] and the [[Romania during World War I|defeat of Romania]], Roques’ report further discredited Briand and Joffre and began the political manoeuvres which led to Joffre's removal.<ref>Doughty 2005, p318-20</ref> On 13 December Briand formed a new government, replacing Roques with [[Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey|Lyautey]].<ref>Doughty 2005, p320-1</ref>

Subsequently, Roques served briefly as the commander of the [[Fourth Army (France)|Fourth Army]] and then as the Inspector General of Works and Organization for the French Army until February 1919.

[[File:colonelroques marseillan.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Statue of general Roques in Marseillan.]]

His war service exhausted him and he died at [[Saint-Cloud]] in 1920. Buried initially in his native Marseillan, his remains were transferred to the [[Hôtel des Invalides]] in [[Paris]].

==Awards== *1912 - Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur *1916 - le Grand Croix de la Légion d'honneur *1920 - Médaille militaire - Épée d'honneur de la ville de Marseillan

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Books== * {{cite book|last=Doughty|first=Robert A.|title=Pyrrhic Victory|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-674-02726-8}} *{{cite book|first1=Jonathan|last1=Krause|first2=William|last2=Philpott|title=French Generals of the Great War: Leading the Way|isbn=978-1781592526|year=2023|publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O9S4EAAAQBAJ}}

{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} |- {{s-new|reason=Post created}} {{s-ttl|title=Permanent Inspector of Military Aeronautics|years=8 November 1910 – 9 April 1912}} {{s-aft|after=[[Auguste Edouard Hirschauer]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Tell Aristide Frédéric Antoine Chapel]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander of the [[Seventh Infantry Division (France)|Seventh Infantry Division]]|years=9 April 1912 – 18 August 1913}} {{s-aft|after=[[Edgard de Trentinian]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Auguste Charles Lucien Pélecier]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander of the [[12th Army Corps (France)|Twelfth Army Corps]]|years=18 August 1913 – 5 January 1915}} {{s-aft|after=[[Henri Jean Descoings]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Auguste Dubail]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander of the [[First Army (France)|First Army]]|years=5 January 1915 – 16 March 1916}} {{s-aft|after=[[Olivier Mazel]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Émile Fayolle]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander of the [[Fourth Army (France)|Fourth Army]]|years=31 December 1916 – 23 March 1917}} {{s-aft|after=[[François Anthoine]]}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Joseph Gallieni]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of Defense Ministers of France|Minister of War]]|years=16 March 1916 – 12 December 1916}} {{s-aft|after=[[Hubert Lyautey]]}} |- {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roques, Pierre Auguste}} [[Category:1856 births]] [[Category:1920 deaths]] [[Category:People from Marseillan, Hérault]] [[Category:French Air Force generals]] [[Category:French Army generals of World War I]] [[Category:École polytechnique alumni]] [[Category:Aviation in France]] [[Category:French aviation pioneers]] [[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Ministers of war of France]] [[Category:19th-century French military personnel]] [[Category:French recipients of the Legion of Honour]]