Nany letters to J and G Hausermann in Rosario-Nov 1939

7103

Nany at Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario in November 1939

Vierville Saturday, November 4, 1939(EXTRACTS)

... Good news from our soldiers, but the brave Jean C. had a small cystitis that does indicate well is at rest however – that his place is not there. Simon, who as I told you in my last letter, could not go beyond Paris, to see her husband and this despite Gaby's courtesy who had put all his knowledge into action, Simon m-a said that Gaby would like to have JC at the Ministry of Armament, where he needs people of his kind (he even informed Georges C., but it cannot be said to remove him from where he is, because he is mobilized on his side) I would be very comfortable seeing JC at the Ministry, his health will never allow him to do an active service at the front. He had gone with courage and a decision martial, which I can admit, I did not expect; and he never complained about his current life that is going on especially in the mud, rain and cold, to train the men of his regiment whose division has not yet been called to the front. He complains only about one thing, it is not to be more active.
It is also the impression of Dr. Lehoux who came to me kindly, and who tramples with his regiment (an annex of yours) with his men who would also like to go to the Boche.

Good news from our Phil who is actively preparing his examination of the EOR, while training in military marches and pontooning. He is very well, is excellent mood and hopes to have a permission in the near future. I will have pleasure to see this dear little one again.
From Georges C. good news of health, but nothing he does and he gets bored.

Georges Victoire is in Brittany for X time, part of his regiment came to educate young and Polish men whose regiments, as well as Czechoslovakians, are formed every day.

....I had the joy of seeing my Coutançais on Sunday, then on Thursday your sisters who came to bring flowers to your dear dad, accompanied by the 2 little ones and Mich – the big ones were burning – it was a good surprise...... I was resuscitating melancholy whose tendency our priest was accentuating with a glass that stood from the night before and filled your ears... and heart!We tasted together and I was able to get myself to the perception of Trevières and touch my horse's 6600F. It's good in the stock market, because I don't plan to touch a red liard of the 11000F rent of the Young Plan – sacred Bousquet, I blame him for it.

I didn't have the covers laid, so I was too sad to cross the rooms of the 1st.^ir And see them debubbled.^nd The last fruits are picked and put to fruit, we will soon have snails, there are masses of them. The pebbles are placed on the side of the alleys, the massifs are cleared of their plants, it is a severe winter order....But for two days now, which has allowed our people to gail the apples at the Vignets, they are the 7 lean cows, and this year they will not be able to make big ciders. Fortunately, we had thought about this, and we will only need a 1400 l barrel of cider, the harvest will be enough.

I put a small wood stove in Martha's room, the nearby storage room has a fireplace – so it's easy – and I'm also buying a little salamander that I'll have in the small dining room. I could see at this time of north wind, that it was very difficult to be warm, and I have 7 tons d-anthracite waiting since 1914 our good will. My little corner you know is very cozy with a wood stove and I had another one put in Father's office to allow if necessary to install it. Fortunately the stake has a good supply of wood, and I have made my fill of coal for the kitchen, and the Good Lord blew a little loud on one of our old plumbers of the Vignet, which will still give warm, because we must think of our poor old ones who warm up badly in front of their half-extinct fireplaces.

I see Dubois always ready to do a favor, he brought me a parker's rabbit, poached it must be admitted, the hunt is not open this year-and Miss Huet to whom I will provide wool, hook and needles for the great girls of his class who work for those who need it.

Your sisters knit with an admirable vivacity, and our Bison makes his first weapons with ease and ardour that resemble those of his mother.

I had a long letter from your mom, my dear Maine, full of details about them all, that you must know, but I'll tell you again in case you don't get them. Marg is a beautiful little James born a few hours ago. after The departure of his father and your mother was about to go to join her to help him with the 5 little ones and then bring them back to Toulon. RV was to be appointed Cdt of a hunter in Ajaccio. Your sister Saillard moved to the Mouillon, Henry is appointed to a battalion of Senegal and probably kept in the Midi waiting to leave with them at the front.Rémy is on the border of Lux. And Paulette, as well as possible, admired everyone by his valour and courage. Jean often flies, No goes well as the little ones, she is the godmother of Yo's squadron, these famous Red Devils, your mother sent two pictures of the still happy airman, and I quickly asked her address to send butter from Vierville, it will be an honor for him to accompany the hors d'oeuvres of these braves. And here my dear Maine, your mom always seemed going and even happy. If only she could pass me a little bit of her training. I do, I think I am 80 years old.

I had a good letter from Jean C...... he wrote to Arcis-sur-Aube: "I am glad to hear from John, we must tell him to extend his special assignment; it is a mistake to remind all these reservists, we could at least wait for the end of winter; here we will be confined throughout the winter, they are much more useful there". He also hopes to come soon on leave.

Sunday, 5 November 1939

....I hope you're not too hot yet...will you go to Riachuelo this summer, my dear Maine?It's hard to spend a summer in Rosario and the freedom of the Riachuelo is good for the little ones.

Comrade Yves has grown up, he is now wearing long golf pants, as it is now, it is not very pretty, but it keeps him warm ... and it is in fashion. The climate of Coutances is not very hard, but very rainy, and it was necessary to put on the boys of big nail shoes, like those of the soldiers and the little sock rolled over.

Yves follows very well, but it was necessary to do classes from 8h1/2 to 1pm, nothing in the afternoon, to allow another section to take over. It is tiring for students and teachers! ...
... here many small villas go to the communal school.... But this is not going well and for reason!^nd Teacher and I'm doing the class in the town hall. ...

Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario

Vierville Saturday, November 11, 1939(EXTRACTS)

A day of glory some 21 years ago, my dear children, who are no longer celebrated as they should!...

Tomorrow I'm waiting for 4 of my Coutançais for lunch. It can no longer be asked to come here as it was done until now only in the afternoon; the days are greatly shortened and here is that as a precautionary measure the cars must be equipped with lamps Black. Already the blue lamps gave little light, these will give so little that it is possible to crush some passerby, especially when arriving in the city. So I would have, with joy, my Coutançais, without knowing which, because the boys have a lot of work, ... as for Simon, she was able to join her husband in Paris where he had had permission to go to the Ministry of Armament for 24 hours. It is likely that she will have left with him until Troyes. I am very anxious to know if Jean can be transferred to the Ministry, it would seem so much more his place!Life at the front is hard, for 8 days they live in water and mud to the knee; and I suppose that menus are no more suitable for Jean.

Ms Cordelle, who went to Paris for 8 days, wrote that she saw Gaby, who dressed in a seaman's uniform cut off her beard – it's not a loss –

Good news of George who is bored, I would like him to say less, it is not done to raise the courage of Suzon...He also complains that the work would be very well done by a young engineer, I doubt it, but it is precisely the task of the old ones, it is to replace the young....

...come to what concerns you, my Jean, the brave H. (Hebert?) seems very touched by your offer and thanks very much

"But (I copy his letter) fortunately after the latest news of John's assignment is renewable until further order and according to what was said to the E.A. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the President of the CIP (SPR) (Society of the Port of Rosario) It is more than likely that it will be indefinitely. This is what can happen best for all and in^ir The company and its interests, whose defence must make Jean forget his itchings, which I understand well, to return to France. Given the special type of war today, it is undoubtedly that its usefulness will be much greater in Argentina »

What will I add to that, Jean?
In France, we have just allowed many reservists to take up and drive our economy... than to dig very far behind the trenches that nobody thinks are useful.

....I have enough to occupy here and I don't miss it. There were a few afternoons of sun that allowed me to spend good times outside. I am close to the organization of the vegetable garden and the property for winter. The apples picked up and kindly brought in the boat of our neighbour Auvray, gave a deficit that I never knew, barely 15 stopped (1/2hectos) to make our cider barrel, it will be necessary that I buy and I already had 100 liters of water put in the empty barrel. By adding sugar and spoiled product it will be very drinkable. I cry blood tears on my barrel of big cider Georges had to stop boiling me this summer, I obviously 100 liters of calvados-that nobody touches except Georges-at the bottom of my cellar, but I could have boiled half less and used the surplus for our year-round cider. It's a good lesson for the future.
T-I said I was planting seven young apple trees to replace those so unfortunately torn last year with a burrash, and that were good old trees in full production.

A letter from Suzon this morning tells me that Jean C. might be monitoring the installation of an electrical plant, it would have to be ready for the spring, and it would be possible to make shells there until they were put at the disposal of the industrialists.

Guy Jenny, who was born last week – everything is fine – will probably be designated for similar surveillance, and in the spring we will be ready to flank the Boches with a pile they need.

At this moment our Phil will also be ready to fulfill his task as a pontooner at the front. He is still in Poissy, ready to move if the Seine continues to climb...

Georges Victoire is in Brittany at rest, .... Parents are therefore more quiet, the brave people. They perform all their duties with care, as well as my brave Tatou... and my TSF post is back. What a beautiful gift you have done there!

..... I just bought a salamander that my Coutançais will bring tomorrow, and that the smoker will pose in the small dining room.

... I had the visit of my parish priest, who is very flourishing, of Mrs. Guignard who brought me a book, ...

....I told you that the catechism for Yves is Daily At 5am, and that will last 3 years? Did I also tell you that the parents of children who have made their private communion must solemnly commit themselves to before their priest, to make them follow the catechism to make the solemn communion that remains mandatoryIn Coutances there are 400 canons, probably very busy with all the young people. Yves works well but the school facility is very insufficient and the courses (recreational) The poor kids would still need to stretch their legs in the middle of their 5h uninterrupted class. No Spanish teacher for Bison that Suzon will put in training, because it is likely that she will abandon the Latin she is not a frantic. Georges ssête despite the experience already made to make her continue, despite the warnings of the same teachers.
We wanted the majority of our Phil and the 18th anniversary of the great Francis this week. Last year, thinking about the return of the Cordelle (from Rosario) we had the plan to celebrate this together, and by a jump... we are far away, alas! and the worldly life is very limited, even in Paris.....

Our little village is always very quiet, as I told you the school canteen was removed, we will give individual help.
I think that the Christmas tree will not happen either, there are about fifty Parisians who could not be excluded from it and that would increase the expenses, so your 500F are intact, but I think I can make provision for gourmets which will be distributed to the school at the end of the year. ....

Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario

Vierville Saturday, November 18, 1939(EXTRACTS)

....I saw your sisters, Simon had caused and seen his husband for 24 hours, the military doctors would reform John who is unable to campaign, but when? The thing is always difficult as soon as something has to be changed to a military drive. The brave boy bores off his inactivity which is that of almost all our soldiers.
Our Philis is subjected to a more active preparation which he does not complain about. I just sent him a small package with fresh butter and pears. I also did not forget your airman, dear Maine, and made in a box of white iron a larger shipment (whatever the post allows me?) of butter so that he can bring it to the table of his mess. I send you attached a engraving cut out in the Morning following a visit of the Gal. somewhere in the frontWhere you will easily recognize among those bearded devils, the one who cares about you... they're all kids... and heroes!

Georges Victoire is here for 21 days, he helps his father on all sides in the property with a lot of brains, the brave kid.
Leterrier arranged to find me 20 strips of apples that added to mine will make a mouthful anyway.
I find here all the help we can to replace our brave Muscadet who still boils down in Caen's artillery regiment; and it's to whom will lend horse or ring. There are still a lot of fags and apple wood to bring back Vignets, it will increase our supply, but I was able to distribute them to poor old people who are more to complain about than I!
So I saw your two sisters, Brigitte and Yves on Sunday, it was a pleasure, we had lunch together, and they left at 4 o'clock in the evening to avoid a very difficult return to town with the lighting allowed. of the Pears baskets, snails, and also 3 dry fagots that are laid on the roof of the car. This obviously lacks elegance, but here is an unknown item in Coutances and you can't imagine what has been seen on cars since the beginning of the war, as rail transport is almost impossible and the time required.
Simon was just returning from Paris where she had found her husband 24 hours. Gabriel I was introduced to the second of Dautry, and he was going to claim Jean, he would be employed to supervise the factory construction in the Centre, where they wanted to build them to help make the bus, which would then be transformed after the war for tooling and economic production (the first plant under construction is at Isle-Jourdain).

Good letter from Tantine back to Paris (she is right); Robert is sorry to be unemployed, his wife has to do everything at home, including laundry, but they paid a superb trip to Spain and Portugal this summer, with the only money they had....

Tantine is happy to have returned home, she holds the organ at the chapel of the Family where the residents are very small and for cause 150 instead of 500.
Our boys are working hard, they are always following each other, there are no more Thursdays or Sundays for them. The two kids are doing very well in their studies, as for your two sisters, they knit and make themselves useful as much as they can! It's equal when I think of winter as we all dreamed of in Paris! We're far from it.

Our little village is still quiet, and the work is done thanks to the dedication of women and old people. Laterrier leads the Ormel, whose eldest son was going to take over, he is engaged, and the exploitation of his son-in-law who is at the front. Rude task, I saw him the other day very tired.

I'm afraid the Navy and our friends are not going to make a phone call in the English Channel. The department belongs to those who are moving in... for 10 years.
Life has not yet increased much, and we find everything, including gasoline, that is widely distributed.
I don't know if I told you that the Boches who occupied the apartment above the Chedals left at the end of August with a supply of trunks, supposedly to take a vacation, in fact to go back to Bochia with all their indications. A police raid in September in the apartment found empty with some white wooden furniture. .... Summary, the Cordelles have applied for this apartment that would suit them perfectly, and which for us would put them near us. We promised Simone to warn her in case of a rental request, but no one is renting in Paris right now, they have time to see....

Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario

Vierville Saturday, November 25, 1939(EXTRACTS)

I just received your letter of 18/11, my John, it was not long as you see it. If I am so ahead of the mail that leaves on Wednesday, it is because our letters are sent to Paris or Le Bourget with a slowness that we excuse so many things that our dear country is overwhelmed with. I am glad to know you in good health, despite the heat that is tiresome. Goddamn! if only one could make an exchange of temperatures; famous invention that that will come to fruition. Good news from all of Coutances that I receive letters at least twice a week, and yet their lives are severe and without much comfort. Boys are working well, how much I would like them to succeed, especially JP whose class call will be made next year. He will present himself in L & X and Centrale, it would be a bad luck if he did not succeed in one of the 2 exams. At l & X we deleted a lot of by side who could precisely force the points of our candidate, English, fencing, drawing, etc. In Central, settled in Angers and where the husband d'Yvonne Bidel will take classes in physics every month, they are 15 in 2^nd The young also work and follow very well, including Yves who a once a week at the catechism after a general outcry of parents who refused to bring them there DailyThese old canons are incorrigible.

Here is their address: at Mme de Pierrepont, 12 rue de Tourville, Coutances, Manche. Madame de Pierrepont is the concierge of the Town Hall! Famous degringolade because the family was another time illustrated in the Channel. They owned this little castle of the Biards which now belongs to Postel-Noël, and his name is inscribed in the "Domesday" of Guillaumele Conquerant who had taken them with him to England.

I had news of George who seemed less bored. He kindly sent me a parcel of exquisite dates, as he usually took me for Gargantua... So I immediately sent my sapper a good half of this treat; he will not spit on it; I send him every week by post 1⁄2 pound of butter and some treats. He writes that he is a postmaster and that his section waits for bruises to instruct them. We think he will see him at Christmas. He was very moved by the death of 5 of his comrades who drowned in the Seine very large, wanting to go through it recklessly in a baphot in bad condition. Here is his address, but it often varies, it is better to write to him in Coutances it will be safer: Sapor Chedal-Anglay, 1^era Cie of the Genius War Depot, Poissy, Seine and Oise.

Jean C. had to make a short stay at Troyes Hospital, we wanted to make him pass the temporary reform, but he refuses, I don't know why, the good boy proved himself.

I had my salamander put in the little dining room, it changed the atmosphere. I should have thought of that earlier instead of having you freeze, my dear children, last winter. I always see the little red nose of your two kids! Leaving the kitchen door open at night, it also warmed up the one that was cold. I also made to put large curtains on the windows, brought the Norman clock and on the fireplace, put 2 candelabras of Dutch copper to frame the American pendulum of G. Hersent. All this may not be a very good style? but it makes the room, with its long table, welcoming and I'm a little deserting my little pink salon in the afternoon.

...the airmen have shot down 14 planes for two days; I think the Red Devils had to do a good job. I'm very excited to hear from your little Yo, my dear Maine; Suzon sent a coutuçaise to eat with Vierville butter.

... Our friends in Lyon (i.e. Crédit Lyonnais) The Commission has not yet taken any action to (Money) I'll take advantage of a trip from one of my sisters to Paris to hand it over to Mrs. L.

.... I'll be glad that you can all go together to the Riachuelo, and I guess the joy of making the beautiful boats work, I wonder what I'm going to send to my little ones for Christmas, I'm waiting impatiently for your sisters – who have to come this week – to make this happen, because it can't be said that I can find this here. Certainly if John Paul can, makes him do piano, it's the most complete instrument, or cello, more transportable. Although you didn't take away my grand piano, I don't touch it anymore.

... These two wars in 25 years and the military preparations that we had to support have dried up. I wonder how we will eventually pay for all this. Our campers get away with it, the products are sold on the rise, the cattle are requisitioned at good price, but it must be admitted that this is not without their own fault, because their work cannot wait. I said to you all the complacency that I find with our brave people, as soon as I need a cart and a horse. Léon Auvray went to Vignet yesterday with Leon to get me the last 2 apple trees that he had pulled out last year and that Georges had helped to saw. Laterrier sent yesterday the apples we needed for our cider, they came from his daughter's house to help him run the farm, which she was successfully pulling off. I am touched by their kind complacency. I could have had another horse; to replace all those who were requisitioned, one hunts for pure blood, mostly cobs, for agriculture. But it's an expense I want to spend this year and it will give me the resource to sell my hay....