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a group of old papers with handwriting on them sitting on top of each other
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Estimate €4,000 - €5,000
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MERMOZ Jean 7 letters ‘Jean’, October 1924 and undated, to his ‘Beloved Mum’; 21 pages, in-8 or in-4 (one edge frayed on the second letter). His joining Latécoère. Thursday [9th]. He passed his medical examination; the doctors congratulated him ‘on my constitution, which they say is suited to a long career in aviation… Provided I don’t come a cropper. I’ve got a lung capacity of five litres and four, and I’ve been told I could break altitude records. Anyway, it went well’. He’s taking his licence exam on Saturday: ‘The exam is long and quite tough because I have to cram all the laws on air navigation into my head. Anyway, I reckon I’ll be in Toulouse on Sunday or Monday. […] I’m writing to Latécoère to let him know I’ll be arriving soon’… – Monday 13th. Arriving in Toulouse in the morning, he went straight to Latécoère’s office; the director told him, “You’ll start training tomorrow on the types of aircraft in service on the route whilst we sort out insurance for both of us.” Apparently, the company takes out its own insurance for the pilots. That way, it can cover the costs in the event of an accident. I’d like to leave Toulouse, though, because until you’re assigned to a leg of the route, you only receive a fixed salary of 650 francs. Anyway, I hope it won’t be long now. I’ve checked into the hotel where all the pilots passing through here stay. […] If the going gets tough at the start, so be it. I feel I have the courage to overcome anything, and with a bit of luck, everything will certainly turn out all right”… He gives his address as ‘Lignes Latécoère’. – [15]. “I’m eagerly awaiting news from you. It’s true I’ve only been here for three days. The time seemed to drag a bit, as I didn’t know anyone when I arrived; now things are better […] I plan to start my training tomorrow. At the same time, we’re doing a training course at the aircraft and engine assembly workshops. I don’t think I’ll be making the Toulouse–Casablanca trip to familiarise myself with the route before the end of the month; once that trip is over, I’ll be on the verge of being assigned to a route. It takes patience, but I’ve got plenty to spare. They put us through our paces on purpose when we arrive; once you’re settled at a post, life’s good, and I’ve had confirmation from the Director himself that earnings exceed 3,000 fcs a month”… – 18. He earns 850 F a month: ‘But I’ll be getting just over half of that, as I arrived on the 13th, and if next month I do Toulouse–Casablanca and two or three legs, I’ll easily make it. […] I completed two flights yesterday. It went well; no nerves, absolute calm. I hadn’t realised it had been nearly six months since I’d sat in a pub. It was a real treat!”… – Tuesday 21st. He is “in the engine assembly workshops at the moment, covered in oil all day. I think I know why they’re making us do this work before we set off: we’ll probably be running the stages on the Casablanca–Dakar route, which is due to open shortly, and as we won’t have any mechanics at the start—whilst the set-up is still underway—we’ll have to do everything ourselves. Besides, it’s teaching me a whole lot of things, most of which I didn’t know before; it’s doing me no harm”… [Sunday]. “I’ve got quite a bit of work on at the moment. I’m in the workshops from morning till night. I’m very interested in engineering and a whole host of things I knew nothing about before. I’ve completed eight test flights. They’ve gone really well. I’m the third to set off on the Toulouse–Casablanca reconnaissance trip. So it won’t be long now”… – Tuesday. “I’m off to Casablanca […] I’ll be away for eight or ten days. Don’t worry about me; I’ll write to you several times. Afterwards, I’ll be able to look to the future more optimistically because I’ll be doing a few paid Toulouse–Barcelona legs”… Tuesday. 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
Auction location
Auction time 11/03/2026 at 11:00 AM
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