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several old letters are stacked on top of each other on a white surface
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Estimate €5,000 - €7,000
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MERMOZ Jean 14 letters ‘Jean’ or ‘JMermoz’, Beirut, Saïda and Palmyra, September–December 1921, to his ‘dear Little Mum’; 57 pages, in-8 format, the last letter on Aviation du Levant letterhead. Squadron 57. In the military air force in the Levant. Beirut, 19 September. He recounts his journey, which was superb despite the discomfort. He is surprised by the heat and the high cost of living; he will soon be appointed a non-commissioned officer and is due to leave for training in Saïda: ‘I’ve got a good first impression, and that’s a lot. And besides, I find it entertaining and fascinating – all these customs of the Arabs, Bedouins and Jews. What can I say? Here, I really feel at home, in my branch of the service; there’s a sincere friendship and a genuine bond between all the pilots, whatever their rank. Anyway, things are going well’… Saïda, 23 September. He leads ‘the good squadron life’, out in the countryside, far from any settlements, but close to the sea. He’s paid in piastres and hopes to be able to put some money aside soon. Whilst waiting to fly, he reads, goes for a swim, does some gymnastics and observes: ‘Arabs perched on small donkeys, disappearing beneath their loads, trot towards Damascus, the destination for caravans from the Syrian desert. They sing wild and strange melodies, accompanying themselves on a reed flute that emits high-pitched, shrill sounds. It’s quite amusing. The women follow on foot because here, it is the women who do the work and the men who stroll about. Most of them are veiled’… He is shocked by the brutality of some Europeans towards the locals: “They seem very passive, but in the mountains they are completely different, and woe betide any European caught alone”… – 30 September. He is going to start “flying that old Bréguet again. […] I want to come back with my head firmly on my shoulders and all my wits about me. Avoiding the effects of the sun and alcohol – that’s the secret. It’s all down to willpower and habit.” – 4 October: “I flew again this morning and it’s going very well. Now I’m absolutely delighted because I’d really missed it; it’s been two months since I last held the control stick”; he’s in charge of the cooking; they eat with their fingers; he has a pleasant room but one infested at night with fleas and bedbugs… – 10 October. There are also scorpions in the room… – 16 October. Time is passing and he is worried about not hearing from home; he has had colic and asks for some paregoric elixir and opium tablets to be sent to him. – 20 October: he finally receives a letter and tries to cheer his mother up: ‘Try to overcome your excessive sensitivity a little, as I do myself […]. I assure you, do it, without treating it with contempt; one can clothe oneself in a light armour of philosophy and indifference. One is quite entitled to that when one has suffered greatly”; he, for his part, came top of all the trainee pilots: “ I now have my very own aircraft, a little toy worth 350,000 francs, and my mechanic who’ll be accompanying me on my flights” on a mission to Palmyra: “from there we’ll cover the Euphrates and all the rebel provinces”… – 25 October, he is due to set off on a mission: “It involves dropping bombs, strafing the rebels and taking photographs, most of the time; it’s not always fun, and this ‘civilising’ hunt puts me off a bit’; he is permanently assigned to the 54th Squadron: ‘I’ve had my aeroplane repainted and varnished. It looks brilliant’… – 5 November. A counter-order cancelled his mission at the last minute. “My plane is fully kitted out and armed from top to bottom; it, too, is waiting to see what happens”… Palmyre, 4 December. He’s had his ‘fourth breakdown’: engine burnt out, aircraft undamaged and towed away; his spirits are high: ‘Don’t say, my dear mum, that I’m selfish. […] Morale has nothing to do with affection; I love you with all my soul and I miss you—there’s no need to tell you this, you know it—but my independent, and I would almost say wild, temperament is in perfect harmony with this immense solitude, which is itself terribly wild. Hence comes what I might call my serenity’… – 10 December: he envisages his return and the joy of being reunited; he will come back with his savings: ‘it’s all yours’; he is to be posted to Nancy ‘for night bombing in a Goliath or twin-engine Farman. I like that.’… Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family
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About the sale Historical Memories
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Auction time 11/03/2026 at 11:00 AM
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