7401
Jean Cordelle, in Paris to Jean Hausermann in Buenos Aires, via ??, draft letter
29 January 1945
My dear Jean,
We just received your letter of November 29, 1944. (not retained) and we received your message from the Red Cross in early December, and your letter from the 13th of May (1944, retained, 8 months of delay...). All this is not the fastest, but we are always happy to receive them and to learn that you are all well. I understand your concern not to have news since my letter of December 1943; I hope you will have received from the letters we sent in early December, one from the Red Cross, the other from Alsace-Lorraine-Libre.
Good news from Germaine's family still in the Lot-et-Garonne,....illible Marguerite 8nd Child... UnreadableAnd I sent to Marcelle the 15,000 francs according to your request. For our part you knew the death of Tantine, which occurred in early 1944, on the other hand Georges Chedal just lost his father a week ago. Everyone is healthy, the family grows up. Jean-Pierre had a son in March 1944, François married the 1stir July 1944, and they are waiting for a baby for May. Philippe married on January 6, 1945, he is in Paris; Michel married on January 12, he took his young wife to the noon, he is taken on a hunter (Chasher 106, type SC of the US Navy)Here it is for a while I think because Yves is not of age to take a wife, and Brigitte has not yet sighed.
Throughout 1944 we stayed in Paris almost constantly, the enjoyment of the old house being taken away from us. Until the beginning of March 1944 it was absolutely intact, including furniture. At this time we had to evacuate on the order of the Germans, but fortunately we were able to empty it entirely; 45 m3 of the most precious furniture was transported to Paris where it is piled up in the apartments of Nany; the rest (at least as much) was put in the rectory, unfortunately the latter was destroyed at the same time as the church at the time of the landing; Martha was by chance on a trip at that time. (in Caen, where she was bombed by Caen),nto be able to return only 6 weeks later (Caen released around 9 July)The remains were gathered either in a barn next to the rectory or in 2 rooms of Romain Auvray's farm next to the Town Hall, where Martha temporarily housed. After the Germans left, the Americans set up a hospital in the house. (we didn't know this hospital had been preceded by the U.S.nd Port until end of July 44)This hospital left in December but leaving a health post of about twenty men who spread and it was impossible so far to get us to enjoy some rooms or the house of the guards or communes.
As for the damage, the property received 3 small caliber shells from the sea. One d'eux completely destroyed the tower of the Abbey, another one punctured the roof of the tower next to the bedroom of Nany, on the 3rd of April.nd The roof was slender and the roof was punctured on the sea side above the kitchen. Relatively weak damage, but the roof slates have been slid everywhere and the roof is a real passory. For 6 months we have not been able to get a slate or a piece of bitumen cardboard. The hospital had put a large tarpaulin on the roof hole, but on leaving they removed it without any care, damaging the lattice. You think that the wooden frame and walls are not arranged even more as autumn was particularly rainy. Of course, the interior fittings, paintings, papers, etc. are entirely to be done again. When we are completely paralyzed, transports, raw materials. 1/3 of fence walls have disappeared, used by Americans to make the roads. The small wood has lost 1/3 or half of its trees, but it still exists as wood, and it will reappear. The damage to the land is serious. 1/3 of herbage of wood (the one in front of the castle) is mined (top part), another third turned into an empiric esplanade. The vines are transformed into mud fields, some apple trees cut, as well as most hedges. Generally speaking, the commune and its neighbours are devastated by landing, mined fields, mud fields, destroyed hedges, new roads emptied through the grasses; many corners are unrecognizable even for us. Finally it is necessary to consider themselves happy despite everything, because how many more stones are not even used to make the roads, so the Manoir du Than, the houses of the boulevard.
As far as maté is concerned, it is necessary that the question remain entirely reserved, if you consider it necessary, put it at Marcel's house or even at your home.
The winter we are spending is very hard in the big cities, because of the lack of coal and supplies, it is the hardest of all the war. Don't worry about us, we have the indispensable, but how many do not, and what do the inhabitants of the Norman cities think destroyed.
Soon, my dear Jean, I hope that the mail will be able to be done more regularly and faster, we will meet for...
Jean
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