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a handwritten letter from a man who wrote a poem to his mother
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MERMOZ Jean L.A.S. ‘Jean’, ‘Bueynos Ayres’ [10 December 1927], to his grandparents, the GILLETs; 4 pages, small quarto. Following his first flight from Buenos Aires to Rio; the expansion of the Aéropostale in South America. He regrets not having been able to go and kiss them goodbye before boarding at La Rochelle: ‘Stopovers at La Coruña, Oporto, Dakar. Calm seas from Porto onwards. A rather long journey, especially when there aren’t many passengers. Most had disembarked at Dakar, and the fear of yellow fever—which is still rife in Senegal—had left them in a state of neurasthenia from the moment we set sail. I took part in the ‘crossing of the Equator’ ritual, which involves being tipped upside down into a swimming pool and plunged into it three times, whilst being thoroughly smeared with paste. In particular, it’s actually cooler at the Equator itself than in Dakar, for example. Apparently, it’s often even cold there. Our arrival in Rio at night was splendid. It is quite simply a marvellous, magical scene straight out of a tale from the Thousand and One Nights. A dreamlike setting, extraordinary vegetation, a superb city – in short, a veritable paradise, were it not for the stifling heat!! I stayed there for five days and flew down here. I’ve been posted here as chief pilot of the aerodrome on 1,360 piastres or pesos a month, which works out at nearly 14,000 francs. I had initially refused, given my age, first and foremost, and because my love of aviation precluded any desire for a sedentary – or almost sedentary – job, for someone like me who was used to flying a great deal. But I had to give in, as the Director-General of Operations made it clear to me that it was my duty to make myself useful in both the technical and professional spheres, that I had a great deal of aeronautical experience, that I was being relied upon to organise the Rio–Buenos Aires route from an operational perspective, and, in short, that I would be responsible for surveying and establishing domestic routes to Chile, Paraguay and Patagonia. As a result, I will be doing some interesting flying. I have also asked to fly the special courier flights from here to Rio de Janeiro myself, and as there are about two a month, I’ll get to fly just as much as the other pilots. I’ll probably also be making a few commercial flights from Natal to Buenos Aires, and to Chile. Finally, I have a great deal of work ahead of me. Thank goodness! I also have to take charge of the administrative and technical management of the aerodrome, and recruit pilots and mechanics locally. It’s quite a substantial role, as you can see, but I prioritise flying above all else, as it is of paramount importance to me. My superiors are Mr de Siéyès, the Commercial Director, and an Argentine Operations Director; both are charming, and I often go out with them. In short, I am once again happy, as I will continue to keep myself busy. […] It is spring here, and it is already quite warm. Buenos Aires is a beautiful, large city with a population of nearly two million. It boasts twenty-storey American-style buildings, French-style boulevards, superb German hotels, English cottages and Spanish churches, all of which make it a very Argentine capital, the Argentines themselves being nothing but cosmopolitan folk, with a blend of ancestral traits that make them people of a special character—of which they are, incidentally, rather proud!! We are officially opening the international route in the first few days of January. You will therefore be able to receive news more frequently, as we intend to make the journey in seven and a half days. I shall write regularly whenever a post boat departs. At the moment, letters are sent out at random on whatever ships are available and arrive whenever they can’…. Correspondence, No. 130. Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - 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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