The Photograph Hunt

Tracing the 99th Infantry Battalion and French Resistance faces in Valenciennes

For years this photograph hung above my desk. At first it was just a picture, but over time I realized it carried something bigger - a story at risk of being lost. And losing a story, whether it’s a building, a memory, or a life lived, is something I’ve always tried to push back against. That has quietly been the red thread in my work: rescuing, curating, and carrying forward what might otherwise disappear.

The man in the middle is Neil Mathisen, a Norwegian-American from the 99th Infantry Battalion. He fought in France, Belgium, and Germany. My father corresponded with him back in the 1970s, and Neil even came to visit us. I was a boy then, sitting beside my father as he typed letters on his old typewriter to veterans around the world. Years later, my father gave me this photo, and it became my turn to ask questions.

After some research, I traced it to Valenciennes, 1944, outside the Hippodrome. The light and shadows suggests it was taken around 17:45-18:15 in early September - days after the city was liberated. That part is clear. But the other men? French resistance fighters, fellow soldiers? Their names remain unknown.

This is where my mission connects. Whether renovating a cabin, saving an old ruin, or working with people on their own stories, it’s about not letting things vanish without a trace. These men deserve to be remembered.

So maybe the internet can help. If you know someone in Valenciennes, or with ties to the 99th, perhaps together we can put names to these faces.

#StoryDriven #TheStoriesWeCarry #WWIIHistory #SlowHistory #ForgottenFaces