199 - MERMOZ, Jean

MERMOZ, Jean Autograph letter signed “Ton Jean,” [Buenos Aires, late 1929], to his “Dearest Mom”; 2 pages, in-4 format, on Aeroposta tissue paper. Engagement to Gilberte Chazottes. He has been “officially recalled to Toulouse” and will have to embark “15 days after my replacement arrives […] The big boss, Bouilloux-Lafont, is there. I went to pick him up in Rio and brought him back with Challes and Larre-Borges, who had crashed in Natal on their way from Seville. I take him everywhere, and he won’t fly with anyone else. So every two or three days I head off to either Chile, Paraguay, or Brazil, and I hardly have any free time. Gilberte’s parents insisted that we get engaged before I left, which happened last night. We talked a lot about you… I missed you so much that evening, my dear little Mom. Gilberte asked me to give you a big, affectionate kiss from her and told me to ask you to believe that she’s already completely ready to love you. There were about sixty people there. A lot of people here couldn’t believe it… and the newspapers reported on the event very kindly but with some surprise. Bouilloux-Lafont came with all the executives from his company… he didn’t stop dancing until four in the morning (he’s sixty years old!!!) My dear Mom wasn’t there, but my heart was very close to her; I would have loved so much for her to share in her son’s happiness”… Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family