Charlie's Page

I have in my possession some old photos that my Dad had when he came France after the war - which he never talked about, at least to me. On the back of one these photos were some notes written by a woman named Simone Droit who ran a store in a town 45 minutes north of Paris by train. So I decided to go. I took along my retired journalist friend, John.



Our first stop was Beaumont-sur-Oise. We got off the train and after a few minutes, we walked over the bridge into the town.



After crossing the bridge, we were looking for a map towns often have. We started around the circle looking for rue Baisse de la Vallée. On the other side of the circle, I looked up at one of the street signs - and there it was! Looking for number 35. It was practically right in front of me.



We entered into the agency but they knew nothing. John and I then went to an old café and I asked around a little bit but no one knew anything.

From there, we walked back to the train station and took the train to Boran-sur-Oise two stops away. I had this picture of the house where my Dad stayed.



As it was a small town, I didn't think it would be two hard to find. We walked around a little bit and then entered into a local bar asking about the house. They made a suggestion about where the house was. But the lady said that there was a guy in town who was in the French Resistance who may be able to help out. She called an said that he was in the café down the street. We went there and we met a Mr. André Couvert. He nicely said that he would get his car and show us around.

He got his wife and he took us a few blocks away to a house that looked similar but in a short while I realized it wasn't it. He then pointed to a house about 25 meters/yards away. Even though I only saw the top half of the side of the house, I knew it was the one.



Unfortunately, no one was at home.

Mr. Couvert took us out the airfield where I found out was used by the Germans during the war and then by the Allies after September 1944. Apparently, according to the sign an American engineering group came and stayed in the area which I assume that my father was a part of, being able to speak French. So I assume that he arrived in the area in August 1944 and he stayed France until at least August 1945. I do know that he visited Paris in November and visited a town about 2 hours east of Paris called Chalons-sur-Marne. It's near a town called Epernay which is where Mercier champagne is produced. As Mercier Champagne was pretty well known back then, he MAY have visited it to see if we were related to that family. (We're not.)






The airfield -



Here is Mr. Couvert who helped Allied airmen who were shot down. He and his wife would transport and keep them in their house until they could be shipped down to Spain where they eventually made it back to England or the States.



While waiting for the train to take us back to Paris, I took this great picture of John.