1958 in Mostaganem
28
(details)
Ghardaia
Postcard of Claude in Tandrée, Ghardaïa, circa March 1958
...Here is our stay in the south that ends and these 6 days there were nice. We stayed in Ghardaïa and from there we went on excursions to El Goléa, Ouargla, Hassi Messaoud. But the Ghardaïa oasis is an enchantment... we would like to have a house with a vegetable garden full of palm trees! The far west of the oil fields is interesting. We had all the time, the sand storm – we even stayed in the road for an hour, rain... and a sun without clouds...
(details)
From Gaulle to Mostaganem, exclaiming for the first time and probably the only time: "Vive l'Algeria.. French!" . In general black feet remained suspicious and they were not wrong.
Claude on his terrace, spring 58
I signed up for life at the Navigation Congress Association, to receive the publications. In fact I was never at any of their congresses, but I actually received their papers for many years. Then they got tired and I also threw it all away.
Letter from Claude to his parents, from Mostaganem
12 Junen 1958
I write from the garden where I took back my good habits. Today, the schoolboy has a leave and he plays with very dirty little Arabs and very meek but very nice, sand.
After the frenzy of De Gaulle's day
(I think it was late May, the day he said for the 1stera "Vive l'Algeria .. French" Mostaganem has taken his face back every day, flags have disappeared from most houses and we talk about something else.
We are at the beginning, but I still have a little cockroach wondering if in six months all this will be solved. L'integration, word spoken in Algiers scares me and reading between the lines of Mostaganem's speech, one can think that this will not be a definitive solution "Then with the elected representatives, we will see what is to be done" (our friends Muller, black feet since 1870, were not deceived, they thought that De Gaulle would eventually give independence to theArab States I think a Federation would be more accepted by the hard-working people of the FLN.
But life continues here as before. Small friendly meetings in one, in the other, good works...... swimming, sewing (just like you) that does not end....
.......Mother m-- you're perfectly settled and I look forward to seeing you at home. (i.e. boulevard du Roi, after Grand Father's retirement, who made them leave the apartment on 6 Hardy Street, at the School of Horticulture).
Schoolboy now goes to class in the afternoon too – sewing and modelling outside; all the little children sitting in the round on their chair, which is adorable.
...the mail is restored also it is the normal way to write to us. (I suppose there was an interruption with the blackfoot revolt of 13 May, and we used letters by administrative means)…..
Letter from Claude to his parents,
23 June (1958) Mostaganem
...Here's the restored mail and I feel that we have remained very long without news. What do you think in France about all this agitation in Algeria? Here everyone seems very happy (including Muslims who were made to shout out de Gaulle) but remains a little worried about what is next. The Army with a lot of opportunism adapted to the circumstances and took the lead of the movement which was precisely looking for a head – but it followed the movement! Just last week we were invited to the Mess of the officers of the 5thnd DB and Kerméjane
(A comrade and friend of my stepfather) and all the others were still completely erased from their new role....
...We have baby plans for next Christmas (This is Christophe). Of course I'm a little anxious (after the misfortunes of our daughter Odile at the beginning of 57)And we can only rejoice after birth.
Yves bought a nice washing machine... so it's very useful. The laundry is immaculate and everything is done on its own. It's so sophisticated that it even scares me a little!
Tonight we go to the beach. Days are long enough to enjoy it after the office...
PS I lost your address (probably the new apartment on Maréchal Foch)
Letter from Claude to Tandree, circa October 1958
...We have received the photos (which are quite successful) with your last letter. As for us, we are in the care of photos since Yves lost his camera(Snacked in my car)But the movies are still working and those of the holidays are successful...
....Here it is now, I've come out of the wrong period, and have no longer to make permanently lying stations. My varicose veins are much better than in Dampierre and they barely bother me what is very appreciable.
As for Frédéric, he is in a period of prosperity. He has grown by 500g since I returned from France (pose 16kg) small intestines that work very well and happy eye. He goes to class morning and afternoon, returns to class at 11:30, lunch at that time... and sleeps from noon to 2h minus a quarter. Garcia, the driver and Yves take care of most of the journeys by car, which means that it is not a fatigue for him. Now, Frédéric is quite used to it...but there was a painful period when this poor chicken was crying and didn't want to leave his house (it must be said that at the beginning of the year he had been very groaning in front of the whole class by Madame Beatrice for being impertinent, and I knew by the nun that he had been very affected by it, so she and I got along with him that he was now very wise and very kind, that Madame Beatrice loved him very much, etc... and overnight morale was better).
He makes i and o on his slate, and he's with the "big" of the kindergarten, which leaves me dreaming. I bought him a beautiful new apron, beautiful shoes... but the little children in the children's class don't have to bring from school to school yet, so this is not a schoolgirl I take very seriously.
I'm being put in a central heating oil and there's a hell of a noise in the house, but it's beautiful.
