135 - MERMOZ, Jean

MERMOZ, Jean L.A.S. “Mermoz,” Agadir, August 23, 1927, to his grandparents, the GILLETs; 2 pages, in-4 format, on Lignes Aériennes Latécoère letterhead. Airfield Commander in Agadir. He was sent to Agadir, where he is moping: “I have an administrative secretary who handles all the paperwork, thankfully. As for me, all I have to do is test the aircraft and handle relations with the military authorities, since Agadir is still a closed city. The colonel-governor lends me one of his horses, so I go hunting. Tomorrow, I’m leaving in the Company’s car to visit Taraudant and Tiznit, the only two towns in the Far South. In short, it’s a life of luxury, which, incidentally, doesn’t suit me. It seems to me that I’ve been labeled as someone who’s suddenly good for nothing, and I grow sad every time a mail delivery leaves, seeing my comrades rush toward the unknown and danger, while I’m, after all, holed up here. Fortunately, this won’t last long, and in two weeks I’ll be leaving for a month in France so that I can really give it my all when I return.” Not a single drop of rain has fallen in Agadir for four years: “So nothing grows. The famine there is extreme, atrocious—to a degree one can’t even imagine! The death toll is high. We’re doing something to remedy this situation, but far too little compared to the magnitude of the problem!” He asked Rio for ostrich eggs for his grandparents… Correspondence, No. 123. Provenance: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family