125 - [ÉRABLE, Henri (1903–1926)].

[ÉRABLE, Henri (1903–1926)]. Letter from his mother, Jeanne ÉRABLE, dated July 1, 1927, to Jean MERMOZ; 1½ pages, in-4 (mourning). A moving letter about the death of her son. [On November 11, 1926, Aéropostale pilot Henri Érable was killed by the Moors while coming to the aid of Léopold Gourp’s crew, whose plane had broken down. See nos. 43 and 55.] Mrs. Érable thanks Mermoz for sending the “precious mementos of my dear Henri”; she had received a letter from the Director of the Port-Etienne Fishery, mentioning “the name of the tribe that had buried the bodies on site by order of the Count of Juby,” and which dashed “my hope of seeing my Riquet return to the family vault […] I have no doubt that you did everything possible to recover whatever might remain of one of your good and dear comrades, and I do not know how to thank you for this devotion in memory of the one who is no longer with us. For the past seven months I have received no news, and yet I still cannot bring myself to believe he is gone; even though it has been eighteen months since he left his father’s home, I still believe he is out there, ready to return to me soon. I knew he was in danger, but I trusted his caution, and I never imagined that in this day and age there could still be tribes that kill for the sheer pleasure of killing. My thoughts are always with those desert regions, and I would so much like to know how this tragedy unfolded […] Did the interpreter [Ataf, the sole survivor] tell you the story? He is the only one left who can speak. Life is so sad for me; Henri was kind and gave me a glimpse of a happier future, and now there is nothing but emptiness”… Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family