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250
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MERMOZ Jean
See original version (French)
250
-
MERMOZ Jean
See original version (French)
Estimate €500 - €600
Voluntary lot
Description
MERMOZ Jean
L.A.S. ‘Jean’, Sainte-Maxime-sur-Mer, 11 July [1932], to his grandparents, the GILLETs; 3¼ pages, in-8 format, on letterhead from the Nouvel Hôtel and Les Mimosas.
On holiday with Gilberte in Sainte-Maxime ‘for a dozen days or so. I’ve managed to get this bit of a break. I really needed it, for a start, and besides, I’ll soon have my work cut out for me. My camera will be ready on 1 August. I’ve managed to raise two hundred thousand francs to finish it. In short, I need to stay focused so as not to give up on this project, which has cost me so much trouble of all kinds. Fortunately, ‘giving up’ isn’t a word in my vocabulary. I want to ignore its definition with all my might.
We spend our days in the sun in our swimwear. I go canoeing, do some sport and, above all, I try not to think – or at least I try. I’m simply afraid every day of being called back. The reorganisation of the Aéropostale is currently underway. I am constantly needed, especially as, as soon as my expedition is over, I am to take up the post of Inspector-General of the Aéropostale routes. Of course, this will not stop me from flying… it is by leading by example that I will be able to command and offer criticism. And then, at thirty, I still have many fine years of hard work ahead of me, and the enthusiasm I feel for my role as a pilot would never allow me to slow down the momentum’… He will set off for Buenos Aires in mid-September. He outlines his plan to buy a house in Eaubonne for his mother, and encourages his grandparents to leave Mainbressy to come and live near her…
Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936);
- Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955);
- Then passed down through the family
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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