7406
Simone and Jean Cordelle (Paris) in Germaine Hausermann (Buenos-Aires) 22 July 1945(Broak of the letter)
1/ by Simone
My little Maine,
This time I am writing to you, since my John is writing to yours, we have received the letters of the latter on May 17th, and it has been a great pleasure for us. Your telegrams are not worth all the details of a good letter. Francis has received your affectionate congratulations on July 14th, so you have just received our letter of June 29th, so it was a very quick answer. I hope that this letter, which Gabriel Dessus takes to England tomorrow, will arrive soon. Yours seem to be coming less well, and we did not receive the photos of Jean-Paul's 15 years, what a pity! Have you had ours entrusted to Mr Michelin, cellist going on tour in Argentina? We also have nothing of all the precious packages you send us, not one It's a shame, because all these things would be so useful to us! Thank you for giving you so much pain, my dears, and thinking of us, I wonder where can all these packages go? Perhaps they will come again! The wool would be a great help to all babies, by detricting old knits to make new ones, we arrive at the end of our roll. I have spun myself from the wool of the Leterrier sheep, but it is too rêche for the little ones. Our poor France is really at the end of resources, despite the ingenuity of all. And this winter I count on Yves to dress up with Jean's uniforms to go to school, that's all my imagination has found so far.
But morale remains good, as well as health. Yves was received with the mention "Sufficiently Good" at his baccalaureate (first ferry) He has a good holiday in perspective. He has just left with about ten comrades to camp in the Great Chartreuse, on the margins but next to the parish holiday colony, and supervised by one of the vicars who accompanies all this little world. These things are very well organized now, the supply of these colonies is helped by the Social Entraide (ex Winter aid from Marshal...) And that allows many children in the cities to go and do some work. When he returns we will go back to Vierville, the Chedals will be back, and we will take over the camp beds that are currently all the comfort of the old house (These are US camp beds, some abandoned by GIs in the castle, j-en kept 2, including a white one from the hospital, at the museum of Vierville at present)We will still be happy to meet him. We will take François, Nicole and the baby, François is currently doing an internship at the end of his Telecommunications school, which he has come out in a very good position. He was appointed to Paris on his request because they have a small apartment, and this allows him to wait for a possible mobilization of his class, something that is quite in the wave. He would then like to go to Morocco. Nicole is well-received and little Jean is a superb child, who looks like two drops of water. Michel is still in Toulon, but waits for his change in a very short time and has a very disjointed life. 8 days here, 15 days there, it is impossible to make any plans, even for 1 month. His young wife is in Paris, because she is no longer able to lead this life of furnished and hotel, in a corner where there is nothing to eat. . if only Michel could be sent to the Atlantic or the Channel! All Chedals are fine. Brigitte failed her philo baccalaureate, but easily consoles himself with her darling! The little Pierre-Antoine makes her see it in all colors to her parents, he's another Jean-Pierre, but he's very cute. My mother-in-law always goes well as the whole Dupuis family, Jean (Dunning) was received at its 2nd
Bac, and go to prepare the Colonial School. Antoinette is a drawing teacher. Gillette is waiting for her No.7, she is a beautiful little family.
And here's all the news, my little Maine, we look forward to you, and we kiss you all very affectionately.
2/ by Jean Cordelle (brown of the letter)
I'm adding a few words to Simone's letter, because I've had very little time, and this brings me to talk to you about the office. (Hersent) have been completely removed from business since 1940 (do you know that Mrs. Jean died this winter?). H. is the great master of the HSA. The lack of precision in the hierarchy remains as before. Bénézeth has been retired since 1941, but he still has claims to return to service! Lejeune died two or three years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Hébert died about a year ago, Drillon died too, and Beaujon died this winter. There's plenty of room. Let's talk about the living. Mr. Chalon is a chief engineer, but only for technique, but some questions are being conducted directly by Marcel or myself. What an organization! Marshal is responsible for the equipment and controls. At the drawing office there is always Vallée and Khelstovsky. Administrative Beaujon is replaced by Miss Rivet, all of whom are jokes apart, we have gained a change especially from the point of view of rightness. Richard is no longer there but Laboria remains. Bénèche is chief accountant, The Carsmeur having left the house since 1943. We remained in almost complete stagnation during the occupation, so the restart was arduous without equipment or personnel; We make underground shelters in Toulon, decommissioning and reconstruction in Condé-sur-Noireau, an unfortunate city that has been cut 90% in a few hours of aerial bombardment, and how many are so. (In this regard the mayor of Condé-sur-Noireau asks me if an Argentine city would be interested in sponsoring his pamelin)We will also have similar work in St-Nazaire. Finally a large construction site in Dakar where Chaussat is located. (Hersent) He was not able to make plans. I hope that as soon as the war with Japan is over, we can move around again and, with the planes, it will be quick. Canonne can't replace you for at least a few weeks. Do you want to stay there again, after of course.
We would like to see you again; it is always difficult to make clear by letter what it means, especially after several years of cutting down during which the ideas we are forming by the few news received are necessarily different from reality. The old house is not so dead that you seem to believe it in your letter of May 17; my letter of January 29 was supposed to be too pessimistic; the following had to enlighten me. What is true is your sentence: "How to keep a house like this in the times we are going to live".
Tell Cherryer that her mother returned to Cherbourg rue Bondu, Mrs. Lucien Cherryer is also there with her two children; all are well. He comes to write to Cherryer by plane.
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