War letters from Maurice Rougier
from 17 December 1939 to 3 April 1940
Extract from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 17 December 1939, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
"Wednesday, December 17
My darling
I wrote you a word soon Friday before leaving Paris and I didn't tell you how happy I was with the quick days spent with you and the children. Let's hope that this war will not be too long and that we can rebuild our family unit so happy without delay.
I arrived here as scheduled at 11 am on Friday with a little headache. I wrote it to you, I started to take R....? and in water and I haven't had a return ophthalmium since and I'm fine. I inaugurated in the morning like other comrades milk tea with toasts and I'm very happy it's much more digested milk coffee. Here not much change, I found Daniel, my landlord told me that he seemed to love me very much, and that he was even sad during my absence (?) , I put him now to the poppie as a waiter, he eats and cracks on a mattress and is not too unhappy , ...
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letter from Maurice Rougier of 25 December 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 16 January 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
Tuesday, 16 Jan
My darling
You are aware by the newspapers of the new threat that has just been put on the Netherlands and Belgium. It seems that this new alert is nearing completion and the calm has come about.
I received your letter from Wednesday. Fannette tells me about pneumonia for Claudet, but fortunately you're transcribing me. I'm not surprised that you all got sick with your way of heating up or rather not to heat up in your rooms. For the children especially I insist that they work in the kitchen during the great colds. Put them in your room if necessary and make fire..
I'm really bored with Fredy who looks really bad, as long as he's getting back on his feet....
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 28 January 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
Sunday, 28 January
My darling
Today, a beautiful Sunday, which was particularly marked by an improved lunch, the lobster preserves mayonnaise, the boar cook with potato croquettes, desserts, fine wines. I did not eat too much because I was again a little bored by a migraine. The boar came from a sensational beating made by the civilians 8 days ago, there was a herd of 25 animals and we were killed 9.
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Chapelle has received news from his wife who can no longer find wood or charcoal to heat up, he is desperate. I am glad that the little ones work in the warm, but you should dry the walls of your rooms by making it from time to time a little fire. I will send you the Review of Paris of January 1, I do not have much time to read it. I buy every day Le Temps and manage to travel it. Received a long letter from Lucie, she wants to... .?... in Toulouse, but it's cold, -12°?
Nothing new about the Boches, they seem to be busy towards Romania now, what will happen again.
.......
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letters from Maurice Rougier of 4 February 1940 Fanny and Claude in Cancon
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 13 February 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
Tuesday, 13 Feb
My darling
Received yesterday your letter and Mother's one. If you were in the humidity we came back in the cold and I still prefer the first, this morning again -18°, it would be lovely because there was sun and a little snow, if my frosts had not come back to poison me. I re-do every morning 3 hours of walking recognition and I am very happy with it despite that, this morning I put my mountain pass and it reminded me of our ballads in the Vosges once, as also our famous trip to Malbuisson where our poor Claudet had half frozen feet when leaving the station.
As a new thing here, we lose the Chief (Chief of Staff, who is right below the General)
who will take a Cdt. (interim) of General. we are well bored because he was very nice and pleasant at work, we will touch a infantryman who seems to be pleasant.
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What do you think of the events: Daladier's big success at the Secret Committee is very appreciated, the help to the Finns is quite effective, that the Boches are going to do, they now seem to be putting Russia into operation, they have sent engineers there, and finally an American professor claims that it takes them two years to get effective help, if they wait for this to make us a total war, I think we will start it before them.
I received a note from Uncle André who could not find work because of his age. For special assignments, it is better now and we even have a number that are dismissed.
I'm glad you told me about the health of the children, what you think you're doing for the big holidays and next year for their studies, stay in Cancon, Mother seems to say you won't be there next year.
Nothing new for permissions.........
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 21 February 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
Wednesday 21 Feb
My darling
I am receiving your Sunday letters today and I am very happy with all this literature. Children seem to be making great progress, writing with less mistakes and their style is improving well.
The great news is that permissions will start again, so go, if Adolf allows, see me arrive soon, I would like to come for Easter from April 23 to 1, but maybe I will have to come before. Tell me when the children have their vacation, is this as in Dijon, 15 days including Holy Week and Easter week? Because in this case I could move forward without any inconvenience. I don't have the key to my bicycle lock, but you can still bring it in by wrapping it up, you will probably find what....
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I forgot to tell you that yesterday we had lunch at the poppot of Polignac (of Champagne Pommery) which is launched in the soldier's homes, and 2 tales that she brought as house managers. She is an American and they were a good distraction. It was long since we saw women from the world!
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 4 March 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
My darling
....... ....... I think it's all going as planned on the 22nd. I'll be happy to see this good sister-in-law....
I'm glad you're telling me the morale of the people in the front, I think you're right and we all understand here, until the last hairy, the sacrifices that are being asked of us, but we officers are working well for this by staying close to our men.
The bell sounds from the inside are less good and everyone seems to complain about this plethora of soldiers who are inside doing nothing and parading. From Dijon, Mr Chapelle writes that they are 30 officers in the Region and that the cinemas are full every day of military personnel who have nothing to leave.
I heard there was an airplane alert a few days ago and everyone had to get down to the basement...
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 8 March 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
... so you saw this good Curmer, what is he doing, mobilized or on special assignment? (After a few months of quiet war, the authorities demobilized a lot of elderly reservists to place them on special assignments for weapons and ammunition work, as my father did at the end of 39, sent to Montreuil Bellay for construction of shell filling plants)......
....You have had a lot of fun with your snake stories and the studies you do, but you are not very tidy about having them for vipers! beware of these however, especially in the spring when it seems possible to find true nests.
I'm going to go on Sunday to do an 8-day internship on the front line from 10th to 17th, but I still don't know what my postal sector will be, it's boring for your letters...
I am always very much taken by my thanks, many comrades are also absent, Dreyfus is on leave, as well as my observer officer and one of my interpreters went to the hospital for observation, so we stay at 2 Deluret and I,+ an intern interpreter and there is a lot of work.
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Bad news from Dijon, they have alerts almost every night, Mrs Chapelle leaves in the Jura, fortunately you are no longer there......
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 13 March 1940, dated from when we left the front, addressed to Granie in Cancon
....Nothing to you since I left because your letters will have to run after me. My internship continues without incident, I work with my counterpart at the office, last night we made a little exit without stories....
.... My internship is interesting, my comrade built a small collection of old debris of projectiles and weapons taken from prisoners. Yesterday we took a walk to the little posts, I saw the boaches at 1200m and 5 shells fell 800m away from us in a wood. Here we are far away and there is nothing to be feared. In 8 days I think I'm near my departure on leave, my internship ends Sunday.....
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Extracts from the letter from Maurice Rougier of 3 April 1940, dated from qu'a partir de Sedan, addressed to Granie in Cancon
...I'll tell you about Mr. Monteux's consultation: he asked me first if I had a letter from you, I didn't have one on me, so I told him what you were suffering from, and that you were in Pau. Here's how he operates with his ball, he asks the questions in himself. ....???.....
Or don't move, it's his way of answering. Question 1 Does Mrs Rougier have too low a tension, A: Yes - What is her tension? The ball turns 9 times that means 9 - The Duréal Closey tablets (??) Would they be? A: yes - etc. etc.. He told me that you should have a less fine ear than the other (the right one I think), see if it's true.
I met the HQ doctor this morning and after I had broken up my stick, I asked him for a consultation. He agreed to anoclascin.
(?) and anticolyl (?), For unfer pellets (?) That made me so ?...?
It's okay that it wasn't okay: adrenaline is more like spasms and it's important to avoid it, my migraines are arterial spasms, but it says that aspirin can do me great, only 15 days a month, 25 days a week. (?) I'll try every day at bedtime.
...I am looking forward to hearing from you, your lack of tension would explain your night congestion....
