History

On a temperate April morning in 1860, a healthy baby boy was born in Martinique by the sugar factory owner’s daughter. In a perfect world this would have been welcome news to the family. They would rejoice and celebrate the life of their newest family member. But this world is not a perfect one, for the child was born out of wedlock. And worse, a mulatto. Knowing this would ruin the family’s reputation, the Quempers would decide to keep this news hushed up. Keeping Achille locked away in the servants quarters. Not to be found or even mentioned amongst their colleagues. If asked after the pregnancy, they would reply that the child had been stillborn and they were in mourning. Ultimately it was a foul lie. One they could not keep forever. So the head of the family finally put his foot down and decided to send the child away in the night on a ship bound for France.

There the boy would be brought up in a children's institution in Marseilles marked as an enfant abandonnes. They would call him Achille because even then the boy had a knack for getting into trouble and coming out unscathed. He excelled in school, though he was incredibly bored with learning. Was admired by his peers, though he did not find them in any way warm or courteous towards him due to his exotic appearance. He grew up with a solemn indifference towards this monotonous life and a yearning for excitement. Something that would come in the years following his twelfth birthday. At that age, unadopted boys would be placed into the disposal of the Minister of Marine. And so in 1872, Achille signed onto a merchant vessel that was due for the colonies. Aboard this ship he would fall in love with the sea. A seductress, beautiful as she was dangerous. A place where he finally felt that he belonged.

In the year 1876, Achille was transferred to a different merchant company. And he would meet his new employer, Monsieur Yvon de la Roche, as well as the Hippolyte, an older ship, well traveled and well cared for. At this time he was higher up in the ranks, working as a gunner. But over the next 8 years, following the retirement of the former captain, Achille’s closeness to his employer’s family, experience, and knack for efficient seamanship would earn him the captaincy.

But just as everything became smooth sailing, Achille’s life was turned inside out. In 1884 the captain was drafted to serve the Navy at Gulfe du Tonkin in what would be known as the Sino-French War. And so he would trade his merchant cloth for a tidy navy uniform. But to his surprise the stripes on his sleeves heralded that he was purchased an officer’s commission. He was now the capitaine de corvette. Unbeknownst to the captain, Achille was admired by the eldest of the de la Roche children. And young Victor, who would not wish any harm upon his close friend of eight years, would see that the captain was taken care of.

So Achille was sent to the gulf where, to his surprise, the French had already developed a protectorate and occupied much of the delta. But this occupation was the least bit welcome. And Achille noticed how his French fellows belittled the Tonkinese villagers. He was stationed at the town of Quang Yen for weeks awaiting assignment. And finally his unit received orders to join the Far East Squadron and sail to Fuzhou, China, aboard his command, Le Podarge. And so began a long, grueling year of war. Achille was tossed into the heat of three different naval battles. After the battle of Fuzhou, then followed Tamsui that October, where the torpedo mine defenses the Chinese deployed far overwhelmed his charge, Le Podarge. And after the loss of his ship and crew, Achille was taken as a prisoner of war.

He was placed into custody by the Nanyang fleet and taken to Wusong Fortress, where he was questioned by Qing soldiers for information on battle plans. Achille, of course, knew nothing of his fellow units' strategies and so suffered under a brutal prison regime. Three long months later, his Mandarin much improved by exposure, Achille started picking up snippets of information regarding the movements of the Far East Squadron. That they seemed to be sailing for Shipu Bay and that there were plans for several Qing cruisers to form a blockade. He knew then that that was where he would need to be if he ever hoped to go home. And so started the plans for escape. Already he was favored by the other captured inmates. It was easy for him to brainstorm plans among the men, and a few agreed to help to earn their freedom. And the night came when their plans were set into motion. Achille called the watchman to his cell and overpowered him with a shiv, collected the keys, and released the other prisoners. Together they fought their way to freedom.

In the dark of the night, they stealthily made their way to the dockyard, took command of a fishing boat sailing out of the Yangtze River, and followed the coast southward. Cold, tired, wounded, and hungry, they were no match for the patrol that tailed them down the coast. And in a desperate attempt to signal the French flotilla before inevitable recapture, they would signal the largest frigate in sight. But before long, as the ship came closer and the bright yellow flag flapped furiously in the sky, they sourly realized their mistake. They had signaled the Yuyuen, a Chinese frigate! Recaptured and hopeless, their only hope was for the French to succeed in the battle to come.

It was in mid-February 1885 that the battle of Shipu came to a head. The Admiral Wu’s flotilla would advance on the Far East Squadron, baiting the French into a chase. And the ships scattered; Wu’s fast cruisers would choose to sacrifice the Yuyuen and one other ship, leaving them behind in Shipu Bay. That night happened to be the Lunar New Year Festival, so much of the crew was distracted. But the sentries soon alerted the crew of two French launches approaching the Yuyuen. Under heavy rifle fire, the launches exploded their torpedoes, and the hull of the Yuyuen was completely crippled. Through the confused crossfire and smoky haze, Achille made to abandon ship and was washed away. Waking up in the hands of his countrymen was the biggest relief.

Achille is sent back to France following his recovery. But he returns as a broken man. His heart is heavy, and his paranoia is larger than life. He is sent a medal for his service, which seems a false treasure to all that he has lost. He decided to retire his uniform during the peacetime and sought a quiet life somewhere to get his head together. London, though dim and dirty, was far from the woes of violence and bloodshed. He would purchase a modest house in Addison Crescent by Holland Park in Kensington. He hires a maid and a cook who occupy the quiet downstairs rooms. Here he will look for new fulfillment and strain to ignore the tempting calls of the sea.