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281
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MERMOZ Jean
See original version (French)
281
-
MERMOZ Jean
See original version (French)
Estimate €800 - €1,000
Voluntary lot
Description
MERMOZ Jean
L.A.S. ‘Jean’, Dakar, Monday 17 [February 1936], to his ‘beloved Mum’; 1¼ pages, in-4.
Following the death of his loyal mechanic Alexandre Collenot (who went missing at sea on 10 February during a flight from Natal to Dakar).
He is distraught: ‘I cannot bring myself to believe that my dear old Collenot is gone, and yet I have no hope left. They flew into a waterspout; I am becoming increasingly certain of this: a German seaplane has just gone missing in roughly the same spot, under the same conditions, forty-eight hours ago: no further news. I’ve delayed my departure to ride out the bad weather during the day; Guillaumet has postponed his departure from Natal until tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, my dear Mum: I’ve been warning about the bad weather over the South Atlantic for a long time, but no one ever wanted to believe me! Unfortunately, these days, to believe in someone or something, it takes a disaster: understanding on the part of officials – whether official or unofficial – always comes at too high a price. I’m setting off on the Centaure and will be returning on the Santos-Dumont; I’ll then travel back with the mail service as far as Casa’… On his return to Paris, he will stop off at Montélimar ‘to see Madame Collenot: I want to look after her and her children’…
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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