57 - MERMOZ, Jean

MERMOZ, Jean 2 L.A.S., 1920, to his grandparents, the GILLETs; 6 pages, in-12 format; the second letter bears a vignette and the letterhead “Le Foyer du Soldat.” Franco-American Union (Y.M.C.A.). Flight school. Easter, recalling Easter Day “back when I was a little boy—I could picture myself running to the barn first thing in the morning to look for the Easter egg, letting out a cry of joy when I found it in the middle of the straw, throwing my arms around your neck, and thanking the rooster for his fabulous egg”… He signs it “Little Jean.” Istres, October 31, upon his arrival at the Aviation School in Istres to become a “cadet pilot”: “The camp is 2 km from Istres, tucked away in the arid Crau plain. It’s immense. We’re housed in single-story reinforced concrete barracks, built in an Eastern style with arcades and a terrace. Here, it’s a desert of pebbles with ponds and reeds; I felt a bit lost and adrift in this solitude, having just left the hustle and bustle of Paris. […] I won’t get my leave until after I pass my pilot’s license exam. I start my training on Tuesday, and in 15 days I expect to begin flying with dual controls alongside an instructor; the technical exam will be rigorous; my flight test will consist of a triangle route: Istres, Nîmes, Miramas; I hope the Mistral won’t bother us during our training so that we can get it over with quickly; after that, it’ll be peace and quiet, once we’ve passed our pilot’s license”… Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family