The True Story Behind 1917

The True Story Behind 1917

Just because a film is fictional doesn’t mean that there isn’t a fascinating story behind it. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be discussing the true story behind “1917.”

Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, “1917” is a World War I epic that centers on two British soldiers, Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield. The two are informed by a superior officer that a British battalion is walking into a fatal trap. The Germans have retreated to the Hindenburg Line in the midst of Operation Alberich, waiting to ambush the enemy. If the attack isn’t called off, the British army will lose 1,600 brothers in arms, one of which is Blake’s actual brother. Blake and Schofield thus set out to deliver this crucial message in a race against the clock, facing new dangers with every step they take across a perilous landscape.

There is some historical accuracy to the film’s plot. Operation Alberich really was a German military code name used to withdraw to the Hindenburg Line, a German defensive position, between February 9 and March 20, 1917. However, Blake and Schofield, as well as most of the characters they come across, didn’t exist. That being said, Mendes was inspired by the stories of a real-life British soldier: his grandfather, Alfred Hubert Mendes.

Discussing the basis for his film on a Variety podcast, Mendes stated, “I had a story that was a fragment told to me by my grandfather, who fought in the First World War. It’s the story of a messenger who has a message to carry. And that’s all I can say. It lodged with me as a child, this story or this fragment, and obviously I’ve enlarged it and changed it significantly. But it has that at its core.”

So what exactly is the true story at the core of “1917?” The answer lies with Alfred Mendes, who was born in the southern Caribbean nation of Trinidad on November 18, 1987. In 1915, Alfred decided to join the Merchants' Contingents of Trinidad and fight for the British during World War I. This was met with strong disapproval from Alfred’s wealthy parents, particularly his father. By January 1916, a nineteen-year-old Alfred had made it to England and enlisted. Serving with the 1st Rifle Brigade, Alfred was sent to Oisemont in France, close to Dieppe, where he trained as a signaler.

During his time abroad, Alfred entered a romantic relationship with Lucille Sannier, a local landlord’s 18-year-old daughter. “I loved Lucille Sannier with the adour and passion of few other loves in my life,” he wrote in his autobiography. It wouldn’t be surprising if Alfred’s relationship with Lucille inspired a sequence in “1917” when Schofield briefly encounters a young French woman taking care of a baby. Although Schofield is tempted to stay with the woman, he’s forced to carry on with his mission. Likewise, Alfred’s relationship with Lucille had effectively ended by the time he was shipped off to Belgium to fight in the Battle of Passchendaele, aka the Third Battle of Ypres.

The Battle of Passchendaele lasted three months, from July 31 to November 10, 1917. On October 12, Alfred and his fellow British soldiers marched through pouring rain for Poelcappelle, a village not far from Passchendaele Ridge. Coming under heavy fire, they soon found themselves wading through a “massacre”. Among the 484 men in Alfred’s battalion, 158 were either killed, injured, or lost in the chaos. Given the year, setting, and countries involved, the Battle of Passchendaele could’ve been the main source of inspiration for the conflict depicted in Sam Mendes’ film.

Alfred hunkered down with the rest of his Company in the crater of a shell hole. The following morning, his commanding officer Captain Alexander Craigmile received a message from higher up: “Should the enemy counter-attack, go forward to meet him with fixed bayonets. Report on four companies urgently needed.” When Craigmile asked for someone to seek out Companies A, B, and D, Alfred volunteered. Alfred knew there was no guarantee that he’d return from this task; his signaling course certainly hadn’t prepared him for such a task. What’s more, the rain had ceased, making it much easier for German snipers and machine- gunners to spot him. Despite shots fired at him along the way, he managed to track down the other Companies.

In addition to locating many survivors, Alfred captured ten German prisoners… well, sort of. You see, Alfred was making his way past a pillbox when he encountered the German men. Rather than attacking Alfred, however, they quickly surrendered, with one actually handing over his Luger revolver. Despite numerous close calls, Alfred made it back to C Company’s shell hole in one piece.

For their bravery in Poelcappelle, Craigmile received the Military Cross and Alfred was honored with the Military Medal. Sadly, Craigmile was killed on March 24, 1918 along the Scarpe river in the Hauts-de-France region. A few months later, Alfred came into contact with poison gas deployed by the Germans and was consequently returned to Britain to recoup. The war officially came to an end on November 11, 1918 and Alfred was discharged the following March.

In 1950, almost thirty years later, Alfred took a train from Paris to Oisemont, curious to see if he could reconnect with Lucille. Upon knocking on her door, Alfred learned that she was now married with nine children. Lucille and her husband were gracious enough to let Alfred spend the night. Although Alfred didn’t live happily ever after with Lucille, he would have three marriages and three sons following the war. Recounting his time at the Battle of Passchendaele, Alfred wrote that he had been left with “a series of hair-raising experiences that would keep my grand and great-grandchildren enthralled for nights on end.”

One of his grandchildren was of course Sam Mendes, and you can definitely see how Alfred’s stories impacted “1917.” Much of Alfred shines through in the character of Schofield. Both Alfred and Schofield were willing to charge into dangerous missions, well aware that they may not come back alive. Both miraculously evaded certain death around every corner and saved numerous men in the process. Traces of the movie can also be found in the story that Alfred told about carrying a message across No Man’s Land. As Sam Mendes described “1917,” “It’s not my grandfather’s story directly but it’s very much his spirit that remains alive in this movie.”