JMJ

Friday, August 20, 2010

The Flochets

Dear Readers,The Flochets were the first family I knew in France,,,Many years later Allen named his son after me (Phillip)
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret.
                                                            JMJ
Ingrandes ,France
566th Quartermaster Co.
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret
Jan 53..Nov53
                                                             Ingrandes/566th QM Company
,,,,The first place I went to when I arrived in Chatellerault was to go to Ingrandes to the little Army post.
How little? just one short street, On the right side a chapel, the Orderly room 566th QM co. and barracks.the latrine and shower rooms.
The other side a small EM club Mess hall..Supply room,, a couple of other small buildings...On each side a boardwalk..The road was dirt and got very muddy..Down the road huge warehousers,,,and a railroad track that ran behind them,.....A short road led to the main road and the main gate was at the end of the road.So standing on the boardwalk on your left the main gate on your right further away the warehousers..
 I got a pass my first days there and went to town.The Army bus left from the main gate.The guard on duty would go up and down the bus and check our passes.In town it was the last day of the Christmas carnival.
You could smell the candy they sold as you went by,,at the end of the carnival were rides...I went on one of the rides and also tried to talk to some of the young people..Keep in mind I was 19 years old,,,Among the group of people I met the "Flochets"Allen the oldest and Guy his younger brother around 8?? I had to get back to the base for that magic hour of midnight.Guy seemed to know where I should go so he motion to follow him,Not far away the local Catholic Church.He took me there and I got the idea that was the bus stop.
As we waited a boy pass the Church and blessed himself..I never forgot that. Then Guy who was waiting with me motioned with his finger for me to bend down.I bent down to see what he wanted and he kissed me on the cheeks three times...and with that he left,,The bus came and I return to camp......
 The next day I had the day off and went to town early.It was not a long drive,I got off at the edge of town
and started walking.On the right I saw a store with a lot of books in it.I went in and got the owner to understand I wanted a English/French dictionary purchased a small dictionary and thats when I started to learn a little French..I went around asking people Ou ai (where is) until I found the Flochet house which was right at the end of town and one of the first stops for the Army bus..The Flochet house was surrounded a tall brick wall.In side on the right was a garden to the front his house on the bottom two floors were the Flochets on the top the head of the Communist party in Chatellerault..What a combination....So I met the Flochet family..The father a heavy smoker,,When I had a pass that would be my first stop..
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret