7107
Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario in March 1940
ViervilleTuesday, March 5, 1940(EXTRACTS)
...as the date approaches my great John Paul's birthday, I take advantage of it to send him my most tender wishes for health and happiness, God protect him our dear little one! and that he brings you all satisfaction now and later....... I hope that my book of legends – which has been gone for about fifteen years – will soon arrive at him...
Here it is, I feel really stronger, and by these sunny days we have just had, I was able to go out and walk without fatigue to sit on a chair that the brave Jeanne never fails to put in the kitchen garden sheltered from the big wall. I rested and warmed it up with pleasure when time allowed, but I was well prevented for 3 days of furious NE wind...
I had a good visit from your two sisters who were busy for me to make a knitting dress that I needed. They chose very well and here I went for all spring and summer. Ah! I'm not a little coquette! And I have a lot of reasons. The two sisters had lunch with me, and even took me to Bayeux for some races, then left for Coutances where they found our little Yves.... with the chickenpox; it's true, but it's a bit after an influenza and measles! Dr. n'a never seen this and previewed that he will be very tired. I don't have to believe it, but fortunately I'm waiting for them all on Palm Saturday, including the Lieutenant. (Jean C.) who is delighted to spend half of his 10-day permission in Vierville. I imagine that my 3 boys will also enjoy this relaxation they need most, especially JP....
The old Vierville is making his toilet to welcome them, the vegetable garden has taken a look of prosperity.... future that these ugly days of snow had totally removed from him, the cabbages even, these regulars of Normandy look like nigger heads... peeled, they were completely frozen and did not come back (our people either!). The wood is already full of flowers and the trees are filled with buds as to catch up with lost time. The fruit trees are almost flowering and foreshadow a beautiful harvest. We must, as we must not lose a corner of the garden, we will no doubt be happy to draw from it. rationing, which will be meat, bread and sugar ; already the butcheries are closed for 3 days in a row, the meats 2 days, the pastries 3 days and the sale of alcohol Idem (this is a good measure for Calvados!) . For our reduced appetites, for Martha and me, I am not worried, but I wonder how the sisters will make before the appetites of the young ones who do not satisfy! We will have to double the dishes of noodles, rice and potatoes... So much so for France and for the victory.
Suzon went to Paris for Sunday to meet the corporal who could have a 24 hour permission and come to bed at the Terminus hotel where Suzon had come down; delights to take a warm bath and sit at a table with a clean table. The brave little ms. sent a note to say his joy "It seems to me that I dream!" It is quite obvious that this comfort is unknown to him! He also tells me that he hopes to have a permission in August and come here to find the comrades and to look like he was back....as before! Poor kids whose youth is already so rough! Until then he will be gone to the North – in a few days – it's the 1stir
He also wrote that he could enter into a great preparation in June. I wish he had a sweet life. The sergeant of the office in Vernouillet told him that his notes were excellent "I don't know what you did to Lt so that he would write you down like this."
Good news of Georges, still in possession of his boss, more and more charming, he is full of attentions for him. ... I think George will be able to take a few days off in August and see his own, he will not have stolen this poor boy!
As you can see, Jean C. returns for 10 days, permissions are now every 3 months...
.... Not a lot of sick people in the old world around here, our poor priest was dragging himself down sadly on Sunday to say Mass. This did not prevent him as a convinced priest from saying also the great mass, the vespers and doing catechism to the little ones. He must offer his sufferings to God!
... Not! Mayor is sick, probably a cooked mistress; it's only unfortunate that this brave man likes to drink in this way. I would, if I could, give them the privilege of raw-boilers who provide all these people with a supply of alcohol on good account. I had our teachers visit;... I provided them with the wool supply they need to learn to crochet and knit their daughters. The result is not so bad, and I promised at the end of the year to give a reward to the most adroit: working bag or other. These two brave girls are doing a lot for their students. ...
Wednesday, 6 March And this time I'm finishing my letter, my darling children, without having anything of you, it will be for the end of the week, and I'm very eager to believe it! Happy birthday again my Jean-paul, which you will probably celebrate with your family in Rosario.....
_________________________________________________
Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario
ViervilleTuesday, March 12, 1940(EXTRACTS)
My John, I could not start writing to you this morning, because Pommier warned me that he would come and bring me the amount of the famous cheque of 16,000F profiting from what he was already to come to the funeral of our old priest. Indeed, this one that I announced to you as well tired in my last letter died Thursday, having wanted to fulfill his duties as a priest; he had said Wednesday the monthly Mass for our dear father and all those we mourned, he wanted to do the same on Thursday and s dragged At the altar, he finished his Mass with great pain, and then returned to the presbytery without being able to do the catechism to the children, lay down and died in the night after painful suffering (I don't know what he died of). He had prepared as a good Christian all his departure, recommending to Christine Dagoubert who was helping poor old Louise, collapsed, to bury him in the chasuble of Mauve satin that your dear father had chosen for the marriage of your elders. I was unable to go to the funeral or to bless his body, where the whole country had been meeting, and I called your sisters who could not get gas to come here, regretting him too! – I also sent our people, there were, it seems, 22 priests, veterans and their flag, as well as the firemen, and all the benches were filled with assistants.
He was parish priest 40 years ago. I don't know who we are going to have, priests are rare, young people are going to the armies, there is a chance that we will be served as well as badly by the parish priest of St. Lawrence who already has 3 parishes on his account, with Vierville and Louvières I wonder when we will have a mass!!The mayor had to go out here and talk to the dean of Treviers (a former missionary very going) and try to arrange things. It's not the money that will be missed, I'm sure, I'd be sorry that our village is without a priest, and I'm thinking with emotion of the One who just left, he loved us all, and it's still a little bit of my old past that goes away! Winter was cruel to all the old people.
I had two letters from you on Friday, my Jean, useless to tell you all the pleasure I've had to read them, it's a long 15 days without anything from you, but with the threat of measles in Riachuelo. I'm hoping that there was nothing serious if the little ones caught, but it's still a disease that should not be treated lightly, like chickenpox for example. At Coutances, the little ones finally get away with it, and the Bison until then has gone back to measles again near her cousin without catching him.
I'm waiting for them Saturday with Suzon, Simon having to stay two more days in Coutances so that Jean could see his mother. He was indeed due to arrive today in perm. But a phone call from Suzon this morning warns that the youngest woman has rushed to Paris where John has just arrived "with her change" She didn't know which one, and it's assumed that he would be in AS (Special Affectation) Ministry of D...not from Armament. No doubt named in some factory construction in the province....I'm glad for Jean that he leaves the front, without ever being complained about, the menus of the poppie did not fit with his stomach.
Our Phil must leave Vernouillet at the end of the week for the army zone, he leaves courageously the brave little one and yet we fear everywhere the dog stroke in the months that will follow.
Georges travels to the South of Tunisia – far away – with his intimate He is a friend of his, who no longer leaves him and surrounds him with a thousand attentions. Who would have believed? He is charming for the brother-in-law who, at this favored treatment, takes over the hair of the beast. I am glad that this change of character, so far the poor boy had not been spoiled in this regard.
The big boys see Easter with a smile, they will have to go to Rouen to take the higher military preparation exam which they have necessarily prepared as students at the great schools. Here in Rouen, it is 150km and gasoline is increasingly rare, taking the train it takes two days en route. Trains are also rare. It is incomprehensible that we do not make it any closer to here to pass the said examinations since we recommend saving petrol and only taking the railway absolutely obliged. It's amazing what in our dear country there can be no sense... and waste.
I saw my PhD student who was happy with his sick, I was, um... I was even picking up the first primevères at the edge of the woods!
Wednesday, 13 March Happy birthday, Jean-Paul and good health... 10 years old, you're a little man!
I had the visit of Guillemette de P. who took a finger from the port by chatting with me, ..... they leave Louvières next Tuesday for Paris, n-en being able to more of this life countryside. It seems that Jacques de Mons is at the infirmary in Caen, he caught cold and Antoinette crying all day long about what happens to her husband. G. also laments about poor J.! so complaining....
So Suzon spent the Sunday of last week with her Phil... it was the cinema in the morning and the Royal Palace with a funny play in the afternoon. "I think he dreamed" m--he wrote....Suzon did some shopping, the department stores are poorly matched, she also wanted to buy a hat from a good modist and has recoiled in front of these pie mussels that women put on her head. In short, she will make her hat, to change. Elegances are rare in Coutances and your sisters remain simple, but it seems that Mrs. Cordelle does toilet Every Sunday, the sister left for Paris near Yvonne. (Bidel-Liébaut) who fortunately had a son Jean-François (he is the sponsor ??....)...
_______________________________________________
Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario
Vierville18 March 1940Tuesday morning(EXTRACTS)
My dear children, the two sisters have just left with the 3 boys and the 2 cars to drive Jean C. who made us the good surprise to arrive with us for lunch with the Palm Sunday. He is in fact definitely transferred to the Min. de l'Arm., and designated to supervise the works of several factories under construction in Montreuil-Bellay (SO of Saumur), he will probably be there as assistant director, because these Mrs. des Ponts reserve the direction of all these works. But the most fun is that these are made by the Grds Trav of Marseille, so that he oversees Challos. If he was more grudgeful, he could eat a little dish of cold revenge, but he is not one of those and he will be fair; he only regrets that the Hersent did not find the way to take work; just in L-Isle-Jourdain, there are 300 million conceded to small entrepreneurs in the region, who give much more twist than the so-called big house of Montreuil; definitely the White's office is below everything and it would be good if young bosses realized this incurrence. Jean C. intends to say a few words to Gilbert H. But it's not so easy to see him. As for Georges, he was informed by Suzon and will probably be able to talk about it with his "Dear Friend" who does not leave him and took him on a beautiful hike throughout the South Tunisian: the chots, the matmatas, Gabès, etc., he returned delighted and reconciled with Africa that he saw little through the ports without doubt well Europeanized for some 40 years that I left them....
... my dear and happy band arrived on Saturday at 3pm with 2 cars loaded to the roofs. It's always the same system that made your dear dad say "my wife spends her time moving Paris to Vierville, and vice versa"; so the cars will go away drunk, but not the same things. The weather is not cold fortunately, we even had a day that everyone called too hot (18°).... and the lights are not extinguished.
....We went to race at Grandcamp; the boys are covering their canoes with covers that prevent the water from entering, we enter with 2 reserved openings, but for this it is necessary to help sailboats that sew firmly, and we have found a woman who does this in master, she also dresses fishermen, our boys are endowed with big blue canvas coats and will have one of these deck pants, in special sea sheet. 20F for the way one of these pants!! and I beg you to believe that it is made and sewn!
.... I was able to go back to the old house with my father Gromelon, who left the plantation of five new apple trees in my Vignets. Jean C. seems as happy as we are to find himself in the old house; I had installed the house in the 1⁄2-storey room, Suzon sleeping with his daughter in the blue room and Yves in the small living room; the boys in the 2nd floor.nd In their room.
...we were deprived of Mass here yesterday morning, we had the St. Lawrence resource, we will have a service on Easter Day, the brave parish priest multiplies between the 5 We are even deprived of the Angelus, the city council is very active in filling all these voids; it is so sad a parish without priests and bells! I was yesterday at the cemetery with your brothers and sisters, carrying to our dear father blessed buns and purple redheads (?) It's always very cold, our priest rests against the chapel St. B. behind the Goussancourt. The nephews have left the cure and will come back to sell some of the furniture, there's not much good, and it's horribly dirty, but I would like to have a memory of our old priest, if possible.
....When it's beautiful I will sit... often in the vegetable garden where Jeanne and Leon work not to lose a corner of land, we demand enough savings; we are obliged to do so, because life has increased a lot in the last few weeks; therefore the least piece of land is sown, turned around, prepared. The counter-spanning of the peaches itself is moved from end to end: cabbages, salads, p. of soil, etc. and the fruit trees duly carved have a promise of magnificent fruit. It is a pleasure for me – and for our people – to go to chat near them while they work; And I can hardly notice that my garden is far from normal. Nothing is worth the master's eye! Our flowers may be a little sacrificed and in addition it is not appropriate for our garden to be filled with it, it is a war garden. I have to have 5 dead trees slaughtered that will renew the provision of the stake largely begun by our cold winter, where will we be next winter??It is advisable to think ahead of time; your sisters will even go to Villers (near Trouville) to find out if they could find classes for the children, including Michel. This winter Villers (but it was known too late) had all that it needed including a class of Naval. Paris may be taking over all its students, so far we don't know, and we live on general imprecision. There is nothing more trying for the nerves, and Hitler knows well what he does....
Our corporal left Vernouillet for... St. Germain, he doesn't know how long he's here. covered As in Paris, we can say that many of them have come back for several weeks to participate in the sowing; it was time, if we wanted to harvest the needs of the army and the civilian population. Our colonies are fortunately helping us, Uncle Emile must be able to send his products with ease, they say that the crops are promising to Morocco too. And did he answer?Simon wrote for the year's day, but no answer, which does not surprise me.
... the Cordelle met the Seroux at the Terminus on their last trip. He also lives in Le Blanc with his own family in a small castle a few km away, not holding, without any doubt to meet too closely with the people of the office. He comes every 15 days to Paris for the affairs of the Port of Rosario. He told Jean that he had sold a package of his shares, that they are currently at a price they will never see again; these 5nd I'm not sure if I'm going to sell my own (whole) at 42000F. So I want to do as he does and sell some of the 25 I own even if it's going to decrease. I'm going to pass the pipe without giving you any advice. I'm likely to use this while waiting for a year to be cleared.
Wednesday
...it rains, but in a mild weather and our children enjoy the good air of our countryside. They were yesterday picking up wrecks, because the sea was throwing boards... as in 1914, alas, where do they come from? Boys build drifts for their canoes, and throw a cart to help them put them on the water.
I went in front of our house and I was sorry to see that despite our precautions, the sea water had jumped over my wall and burned 5 of the little fuss trees that I had planted all around the ground. The rural job is disappointing and I am certainly wrong to rejoice at my beautiful vegetable garden so well so well sown and planted. There will be troubles and we will have to start over, only with a delay of 30 to 40 days that we have to wait to see seeds rising. ...
This leads to regret for you, my dear Maine, who liked the sale of the Forbine. Unfortunately, it is the fate of many big properties and the 100,000F to give to the tax authorities leave to think. alone It's equal, I want to ask you about Mr. Pommier for Vierville, maybe there's something to do to avoid you from a big fee when I leave... if you're determined to keep the old house. I can always ask my notary, who probably has more than one lap in his bag.
.... I see that your boys are as resistant to measles as Bison who resisted the multiple microbes she has approached his cousin Yves. I think this one has grown up again, but he goes very well despite all the avatars that have passed, he has a fierce appetite that helps him climb the slope....
_______________________________________________
Nany to Jean and Germaine Hausermann in Rosario
ViervilleTuesday, March 25, 1940(EXTRACTS)
........We don't know where he is. (Phil) No doubt in the east and north, but not sure, because everything is likely in the profession he leads. ( ?) had put notes on him excellent And he was proposed for the rank of sergeant, but for this he was too little time as a corporal; then these notes would help him enter the School of Engineering in June; it is the routing to the aspiring rank, which would greatly soften the harsh life he leads. It is true that reading a book about Napoleon the other day, j-y noted this sentence of him: "The soldiers are like the sniffs they ripen on the straw."
We don't have too bad weather, it's mild with a few showers; great tide that allowed our boys to pick us mussels at the end of the Perceus with their canoes.(Observations of Francis: "The rock in front of the Perceived, which only emerged by great tides was the "marcelle rock"; that is the reason we brought mussels on our first trip with the two canoes on the day of the declaration of war, and after; as no one could walk there, the mussels were very large and very clean"They came back with a full bag of big mussels, and a smaller one that would have delighted the Touny, there are lots of big blacks. The great air does the greatest good to our boys, but JP has at times, very bad mine. Yves fills himself with spreads that he swallows with the best appetite, the girl is always round and your two sisters full of tenderness and courtesy for their old mom.
Good news of Georges returning to do with Marcel a 1500km hike in Tunisia, all the way...... departure from Tunis and the whole coast, return from the Algerian border. We do not come back from the friendliness of the young boss who has just left for Paris where he is called to the ministry, but will return to his place d'Afficé Spécial in about fifteen. Work (!) do not end up in any way.
Jean C. is decidedly installed in Montreuil in Bellay where he oversees the works of several factories under construction. Of course they are only X who are at these places, but it is not officially of the Ponts, it could be that a comrade comes to take his place as leader. In the meantime he seems very interested in what he does, he has to come every Tuesday to Paris to take language at the Ministry of Armament. He must also go to the office of the GTs of M ! Well installed in a clean hotel, with a simple but good cuisine, it is to be hoped that it will fit well. The country is beautiful, it is a little south of the Loire, but it has much to do, it seems, and no time to walk. small The main purpose of the project is to provide a better understanding of the problems of the environment and the environment.
Nothing new here, on Easter day we had a mass at 9 am (the parish priest was going to say one 3nd I regret that I could not approach the holy table with them, and this year I will have to pray to our parish priest to bring communion. He has already thought of all the sick and said that he would go to them. He is going much more than our parish priest who was waiting too long for us to come to him and who was only leaving his presbytery to go to church. With this, the effect of age no doubt, he and his old Louise were good to take with the tweezers, the presbytery is to redo from top to bottom, as it is dirty, as to the church, better not to speak. The little altars of St. J. B. and of the Virgin were more than a receptacle of old pots, it's hardly if it was swept away. J. spoke to our mayor one day who had come to see me and made him compare with the churches of the neighborhood, to the much less wealthy communes. There would be need of a famous sweep in all this! For the moment we are waiting for a new priest, there is a lack of one 32 in the diocese, dead or gone to the armies, told the Bishop to our mayor.
Your sisters took a nice walk around, we tasted yesterday in Arromanches after having a look at the pretty castles of the 18th century.nd I still had a 50l bottle of water for a month, which I didn't even half enjoy because I only needed it for the engine. I still reserved some avatars, and I had to have the linoleum removed from my bathroom very deteriorated by Dagubert who had to make more than 20 pipes. It was only good in the middle; it would be better to have this washed and put a mat there, until I could put a tile on it. The old house is giving way everywhere, I have cement fences to redo, and the gate that closes on the side of the dryer is more than a lace, it can't be done right now, and I just go to the most hurry. The unwarranted mason will do what is necessary after.... Veremos! I would have liked to paint the little dining room that is very dirty! but our painters are mobilized and supplies out of price.
Our 3 boys leave tomorrow morning for Rouen where they will pass the exam of PMS (requirement), to do this, as the trains are very small in number, they will only return Thursday night after having slept there. You will admit that things do not become easy or cheap.We can no longer find in France even enough to tumble red eggs, and moreover we are so strongly recommended a constant economy that here the eggs have passed blue! We're waiting this week for the trucks looking for the old scrap metal, I thought some safe would help to melt a cannon?
Wednesday, 26 March
Our boys left this morning from 6 a.m. to take the only train that can take them to Rouen where they will be for lunch, we will see them again Friday morning because they will only arrive in Bayeux at night. This would have been a test that would have been better to simplify, and I am surprised that military service could not do anything disabling also in Caen?It is not the officers and the troops that are missing, there is everywhere. It will have to be repeated in July and it will not be known what the result is.
A dispatch from St-Germain signed by Phil warns us that he was leaving last night for an unknown destination North or East; we empty the quarterings and the barracks behind to put there the new class that will arrive in the 1st days of April.
J. de Mons returned, temporarily reformed said his wife. He was absent for 15 days, it's pretty sad!
I've received nothing from our friends in Lyon, and I'll write in Berry only when I have specific information.
Received this week a letter from a notary on the street of the Little Fathers calling me to his study to provide
indications I'm not saying anything about who you know. All this polite but no more. As I said, I didn't answer. Suzon took the pen saying that my very precarious health did not allow me to write or move. No more word. Veremos what will follow. I don't intend to let me bother by these people....
Thanks for the coffee, my Jean, the supply has become normal now, and all the good French have taken the habit of n-in addition as well as tea. It's so much d-gold that comes out of our house. I who had been so fervent for some 50 years! to my tea of 4 hours, I have deleted it, Long live France!
I haven't sold shares yet from the Port of Rosario Society. I'm thinking...
(PS)I wrote that I received the very interesting pictures of Graf Spee; the boys asked me for them.
Suzon sent you a lot of pictures of the colony.
I'll send you papers this week by boat.
Georges sent us dates and nuts from Tunisia this week, wonders.
_______________________________________________________