Epinal I, France
October 7, 1944 – December 8, 1944
November 27, 1944
Epinal, France
No. 68
Dear Folksies,
Before I begin, I must warn you that this letter is bound to be the most misspelled and probably the worst typographically written letter that I have written in a long time. I am at the moment so bloomin’ happy, yet sad, and my eyes are covered with some moisture that is not from the rain or snow that is outside. So, if I do not see these letters or my fingers tend to try to keep up with my speeding mind, please excuse. I know that you would all be feeling much the same as I am at this moment had you just received what I received when I went to our mailbox — a letter from Jean Pierre Baumann, written on Nov. 19.
Censorship regulations, I’m pretty sure, do not allow me to put down his words, which I really would like to do, but suffice it to say that he and his wife are apparently in good health; that his present address is 10 rue d’Algerie, Lyon; that his mother [Lilice Baumann] is no longer in Nice, but has moved to Grenoble. Jean Pierre makes no mention of Jeanne being with Lilice, but says that he sent my card on to Lilice.
He also says that poor Yvette, who apparently was active in the resistance against the Nazis was taken prisoner and deported to Germany. When that was, he does not say. [For more about Yvette, click HERE.]
If only things would lighten up a bit and I could hit up the Old Man for a leave of a couple of days, I would certainly hi-tail it to visit Jean Pierre and all the folks that I could not contact.
Sgt. Roth answered my letter and sent me the address of Jacqueline Horvilleur, whom he had seen when he was in that neck of the woods some time ago – #4 Place St. Jean d’Arc, Aix-en-Provence. Shall write to her as soon as I can in the next day or two. Now if only I will get answers to my other postals to Monique, Sadie, Jeanne, etc!!!!
Alain, I have had in my pocket your two letters, which I intended answering some little time ago, but just haven’t had the chance because we have been kept so busy, working in surgery a minimum of 12 hrs. a day and then working on the surgery wards for anywhere from 1 to 5 hrs. after that. It has really been and continues to be hectic. However, tho’ this isn’t counting as a real letter to you, I do want to thank you ever so much for all the information about the family, which you gave in your letter of Sept. 19. I have given the addresses of your other friends to my friend George Davis and he will undoubtedly try to locate them in the near future.
I was certainly sorry not to have seen Yehudi when he was over here, but apparently he did not get very close to where we have been.
And, also, Allen & Ilse, thanks ever so much for the Xmas package that you sent me – ‘twas more than thoughtful of you and you can’t imagine how touched I was and how much I appreciated it. I must say that I have been bad and have not held to the “Do No Open Till Xmas” idea, but have already dug in to the package and have consumed some of the goodies that are in it.
Quitting to write to Jean-Pierre —-
And again excuse this mess, but I hope the news it brings will over-shadow the typographical mess…
Loads of love,
.
