G.085.01-02 - Greetings from Monte Carlo and Nice (Spring 1916) - Sepia Saturday 606

In March and April 1916, Gerda is writing to her brother Gustaf from Nice on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) - the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. (Obviously her employer/s is/are still free to travel in the eastern parts of France.) She switches languages between English and Swedish, perhaps partly because she is used to speaking/thinking in English, but it may also be that she's trying to figure out if letters/cards in English will be forwarded faster than if she writes in Swedish (if the post has to pass censorship on the way). She knows that Gustaf understands English well enough, as they both lived in America between 1902-1911. 

G.085.01 - Monte Carlo

?42. MONTE CARLO. Vue sur le Casino. 
Courses d'hydro-aéroplanes et de Canots automobiles. ND Phot.

Monte Carlo Casino "is a gambling and entertainment complex located in Monaco" [Wikipedia]

This card also features a hydro aeroplane and a motorboat. 

"The first experimenter to succeed in making an aeroplane rise from the surface of the water was the French inventor, M. Fabre, who accomplished this feat with a monoplane of his own invention the last of March, 1910. About a year later Glenn Curtiss, at San Diego, fitted a float to his biplane and made it rise from the water and alight thereon with complete success during the course of his experiments."   https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hydro-aeroplane/ 

 

 

To: Mr. Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sweden)
From: Gerda (Nice, 8.3.1916)

Nice, March 7.16 - D.B. [Dear Brother] Thank you very much for your letter today. Glad to hear from you that you are well. I am still writing to the Swedish-American soldier. Yes, he is very glad to have found somebody that cares for [him?] a little. Can you read this. Love, Gerda / I will write to you soon. It is so beautiful here. / I wish I could go with to Sweden. *
[* This PS written next to the aeroplane on the front of the card]

Nice, mars 7.16 - K.B. [Käre Broder] Tack så väldigt mycket för ditt brev idag. Glad att höra från dig att du mår bra. Jag skriver fortfarande till den svensk-amerikanske soldaten. Ja, han är glad att ha funnit någon som bryr sig om honom lite. Kan du läsa detta. Kära häls. Gerda / Skall snart skriva till dig. Här är så vackert. / Jag önskar jag kunde åka med till Sverige. *
[*Detta PS skrivet intill flygplanet på bilden.]

It seems that in some context, Gerda has come into contact with a Swedish-American soldier. I've not seen any other references to this among the postcards, so she must have mentioned him in a letter (as Gustaf has obviously asked if she's still in touch with him.) I'm feeling a bit puzzled about where she might have met him. America didn't enter the war until 1917. Were there American soldiers in France even before that? Or was this someone she had met before the war? Somehow it doesn't sound to me like she's referring to an acquaintance going back as far as to her years in America. 

A few more searches, and I find an article entitled Over There, Before 1917. 

"World War I essentially began Aug. 4, 1914, with the German army’s invasion of Belgium. The United States entered the conflict on the side of the Allies (Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy and Russia) on April 6, 1917. During the intervening 32 months, America remained neutral ­– but many Americans did not. Thousands volunteered for the Allied cause."

Some of them joined the French Foreign Legion. As Americans, they could not swear allegiance to another country, but "in the Foreign Legion, one theoretically swore allegiance only to it, not to France". 

"If anything characterized Americans who joined the Foreign Legion, it was their variety. They had only one common denominator: the desire to fight for France. [---] Some came from wealth, others did not; some were college graduates, others dropouts; some managed to at least graduate high school, and others did not. Some were black, others white. The Foreign Legion was the only military unit of World War I in which Americans of different races were comrades in arms."

And one of them, I suppose, may have been a Swedish American, with a bit of his heart still in Europe - or maybe just feeling he didn't have much left to lose, and no one to care for him? 

A search for "French Foreign Legion Lyon" informs me that there is (now) a French Foreign Legion Recruiting Center in Lyon. I can't find the history, but it seems plausible that if they're there now, they were there back in WW1 as well. 

As for how Gerda might have met him, the photo of her as a Red Cross volunteer comes to mind for me - previously posted here for Sepia Saturday 596. (Copying the photo below as well.) Date and place for the photo unknown, but as I now feel sure that Gerda lived in Lyon for the duration of the war (apart from occasional 'holiday' trips to Lake Geneva and the Riviera!), it seems likely that it was also in Lyon that she sometimes helped out as a Red Cross volunteer. 

It's rather satisfactory when one manages to come up with a theory - even if I'll never know for sure! ;-)

G.085.02 - NICE

34 - NICE - Avenue de la Gare

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède
From: Gerda (Nice, 3 April 1916)

Nice d. 2. 4.16 - K.B. [Käre Bror] Det är visst länge sedan jag skrev till dig. Hur har du det, är du ännu kvar på samma plats. Vi äro nu här i härliga södern, 25 gr. varmt i solen i dag. Vi reser nog till Lyon igen om ett par veckor. Kära hälsningar, Gerda. / Jag undrar hur det går med vinsten?

Nice 2.4.16 - D.B. [Dear Brother] I think it's been a while since I last wrote to you. How are you, are you still staying at the same place? We are now here in the lovely south, 25 degrees in the sun today. We'll probably be going back to Lyon again in a couple of weeks. Love, Gerda. / I'm wondering how things are going with the winnings? *

*The Swedish word 'vinsten' could be interpreted either as winnings like from a lottery, or profit from an investment etc. As Gerda  on previous postcards has been wondering about "luck" connected to the 15th of a few different months, I assume that she is still  referring to some kind of lottery.

Compare the postcard from Sally in last week's post, written 27.3.1916. She too was wondering if Gustaf was still in the same place - or "if you have moved to your own farm now in March, or if you have sold your farm".  

Linking to Sepia Saturday 606

"I think it's been a while since I last wrote to you."

G.084.02-03 - Postcards from Sally (1916) - Sepia Saturday 605

 G.084.02

Wermland. Utsikt från Enkullen.

View from a hill in  the Swedish province Värmland.
There seems to be more than one place/hill called Enkullen,
so I'm not sure of the exact locality.   

 

To: Herr Gustav Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: Sally  (Storegården, Fristad, 27.3.1916)

Storegården den 27/3 1916
K.br. [Käre bror] Gustav! Hjärtligt tack för brevet som jag fått. Det var roligt att Gustav svara mig så snart. Vi äro någorlunda bra här. Hoppas att Gustav också mår bra. Idag har det snöat mycket här. Undrar om Ni har mycket snö däruppe. Känner Gustav igen denna platsen i Wermland? Kanske han ej gör det. Undrar om Gustav är kvar i Dalsland ännu, eller han har flyttat till sin gård nu i mars eller han har sålt sin gård. Nu har vi snart påsk igen, tänk vad tiden går fort. Jag har inget mer att skriva om nu emedan Karl skrev igår. Nu de allra hjärtligaste hälsningar från oss alla här. Skriv snart, voro roligt. Må så gott. Vänligen Sally E.  - Det är visst mycket vackert i Wermland.

Ett vykort med ovanligt mycket text-innehåll, skrivet av min farmor Sally när hon var 16 år, till hennes äldre halvbror Gustaf, 37, då bosatt i Dalsland sedan några år. Jag noterar att hon inte tilltalar honom med "du" utan i tredje person, med namn eller "han". Under större delen av Sallys liv har han varit en frånvarande bror. Han och systern Gerda utvandrade till Amerika när Sally bara var ett par år gammal, och återvände först 1911. Då bodde Gustaf dock antagligen på Storegården under ett par år, innan han våren 1913 flyttade upp till Värmland. 1914 flyttade han sedan till Brålanda i Dalsland. 

På det här kortet dyker det dock upp ny information för mig: Tydligen Gustaf på något sätt förvärvat en egen gård - och inte i Dalsland, utan någon annanstans. (Kanske Värmland?? Om Sally valde vykortet av en anledning??)  Detta får mig att undra om Gustaf kanske faktiskt vid något tillfälle vann pengar på lotteri, som några tidigare kort från systern Gerda fått mig att undra om han ett tag satte sitt hopp till. Hur som helst är det oklart om han tänkt flytta till denna gård, eller sälja den. 

Eftersom adresserna på senare vykort visar han var kvar i Brålanda även 1917, och sedan flyttade tillbaka till Storegården 1918, så antar jag att han kom fram till att inte satsa på att driva eget jordbruk utan sälja.

Storegården 27.3.1916
Dear Brother Gustav, Thank you so much for the letter that I received. I was happy to hear back from you so soon. We are all pretty well here; I hope you are too. Today we had a lot of snow here.* I'm wondering if you have a lot of snow up there, too. Do you recognize this place in Wermland? Perhaps you don't. I wonder if you are still in Dalsland, or if you have moved to your own farm now in March, or if you have sold your farm. Now Easter is coming up again soon, doesn't time fly! I haven't got much more to write about since Karl wrote yesterday. So I'll just send you the very best wishes from all of us here. Please write soon. Warmest regards, Sally E. - I understand Wermland is very beautiful.

This is an unusually long text for a postcard; written by my grandmother Sally at age 16, to her older half-brother Gustaf (37), then living at Brålanda in the province Dalsland. In the Swedish text I note that she is using a respectful way of addressing him that has long since been abandoned here - in the 3rd person. For the major part of Sally's life (so far), Gustaf had been an absent much older half-brother. Sally was not yet 2 years old when Gustaf and his sister Gerda emigrated to America in their early twenties. When they returned from America, she was 11, and then Gustaf did live at the family farm for a couple of years. But in 1913 he moved to Värmland, and then in 1914 to Brålanda, in the province Dalsland, where he is still living in 1916. 

There is some new information for me on this card, though: From what Sally writes, it seems that somehow, Gustaf has acquired a property of his own. (And not in Dalsland. Perhaps in Värmland? And that's why Sally chose a card from there?) This makes me wonder if after all at some point Gustaf did win a sum of money in the lottery - which has been implied on cards from his sister Gerda that he may have taken a chance on a few times. Whatever the story behind that, it seems he hasn't made up his mind about whether to actually move to that place, or to sell it. 

As later postcards show that Gustaf was still living at Brålanda in 1917, and in 1918 moved back to Storegården in Fristad, I can only suppose that he decided not to go into farming on his own after all. 

G.084.03

Ljusdals kyrka med Klockstapel

Church with separate bell tower in Ljusdal,

in the Swedish province Hälsingland.  

To: Herr Gustav Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: Sally (Storegården, Fristad) [June 1916]

Hjärtliga lyckönskningar på namnsdagen av samtliga i Storeg. 
Vi äro någorlunda friska här, hoppas Gustav också mår bra. Nils skall konfirmeras i nästa vecka. Skriv snart så vi får höra något från Gustav. De allra käraste hälsningar från oss till Gustav. Vänligen, Sally

Detta kort är odaterat, men någon före mig har gissat på 1916. Det stämmer antagligen, då Nils var född 17.8.1902 och året man fyllde 14 nog var den vanliga åldern för att konfirmeras. (Så var det fortfarande när jag själv konfirmerades 1969.) 

Kan inte påminna mig att jag sett något konfirmationsfoto av Nils (och inte heller av Sally) i foto-albumen. Det finns väldigt få foton tagna före ca mitten av 1920-talet (när någon uppenbarligen skaffade kamera). 

Heartfelt congratulations on your Name Day from all of us at Storegården. We are pretty well here, and hope you are well, too. Nils will be confirmed [in the church] next week. Please write soon and let us have some news from you. Our very best wishes from us all to you. Warmest regards, Sally.

There is no date on this postcard, but someone before me has guessed at 1916. This is most likely correct, as Nils was born 1902, and 14 was probably the usual age to be confirmed back then  (as it still was when I was confirmed myself in 1969). 

I can't recall seeing any confirmation photo of Nils (nor of Sally) in the photo albums. There are very few photos taken before the mid 1920s or so (when someone evidently got a camera). 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 605

"Today we had a lot of snow here.

I'm wondering if you have a lot of snow up there, too."

G.078.02-G.080.01 - Christmas and New Year Greetings (c. 1915)

Bara ett av dessa jul/nyårs-kort (det sista) har ett läsbart datum som bekräftar att det sändes 1915. Eftersom tre av korten är från Oscar, och två från Storegården, så är sannolikt åtminstone två av dem från ett annat år. Alla är dock adresserade till Gustaf i Brålanda, där han bodde 1914-17.

Only one of these Christmas and New Year cards (the last one) has a readable date confirming that it was sent in 1915. Since three of the cards are from Oscar, and two from Storegården (the family farm at Fristad), at least two of the cards are probably from another year. However, all of them were sent to Gustaf at Brålanda, where he lived between 1914-17. 

G.078.02

To: Herr Gust Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: Oscar (Norrköping - year unknown)

God Jul tillönskas o hjärt. hälsningar från oss samtl. / Oscar
Merry Christmas and best wishes from us all / Oscar

G.078.03

GODT  NYTT ÅR - Lydia Svanström

To: Herr Gust. Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: (The family at) Storegården (Fristad) (year unknown)

God o fridfull Jul och ett gott nytt år tillönskas av oss samtliga i Storeg.
Happy and Peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year from everybody at Storegården.

G.079.01

To: Herr Gustav Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: Gustav Nilsson (year unknown)

En glad och angenäm Jul tillönskas Gustav, av Gustav Nilsson
I wish you a merry and pleasant Christmas - to Gustav from Gustav Nilsson

G.079.02

To: Herr Gustav Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: Storegården (Fristad) (year unknown)

En god jul och ett gott nytt år. Tillönskas av samtliga i Storeg.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at Storegården.

G.079.03

To: Herr Gust. Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From: Oscar & family (year unknown)

God Jul o hjärtl. hälsningar fr oss samtl. - Ännu ej fått refl. å H-d * men skall nu på nyåret söka få uträttat något därmed. Vi har sträng vinter här nu o väl så där. Kommer du ej häråt snart - ? [---?]

* (Tyvärr har jag ingen aning om vad det var Oscar väntade på eller hoppades få uträttat.)

Merry Christmas and best wishes from all of us. I still haven't received [-?-] * but will try to get something done about it at New Year. We have bitter winter here now [and probably there too][?] Won't you be coming this way soon - ? [---?]

*(I have no idea what it was that Oscar was waiting for, or was hoping to get sorted.)

G.080.01

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda
From : Oscar & family (Norrköping, 31.12.1915)

Gott Nytt År tillönskas och hj. hälsn. fr. oss alla. / Oscar - Den 31/12 -15.

Happy New Year and best wishes from us all. / Oscar, 31.12.1915

G.077.01-G.078.01 - A Holiday at Lake Geneva (1915) - Sepia Saturday 604

 G.077-01 - Evian-les-Bains, Lake Geneva (France) 

8779 - Evian-les-Bains

Évian-les-Bains  is an old spa town situated on the shore of Lake Geneva in southeastern France. 

Lausanne, where the card was posted, is situated in Switzerland, on the other side of the lake.

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sverige)
From: Gerda (Lausanne, Switzerland, 17 Aug 1915)

D. 15 aug. 1915

Käre bror! Tack så mycke för brev, roligt höra från dig. Jag är nu på resande fot igen. Vi skall stanna här en månad. Du ser sjön - det är förtjusande. Jag skall snart skriva brev. Kära hälsningar, Gerda.

15 Aug. 1915

Dear brother, thank you so much for your letter, it was nice to hear from you. I'm now travelling again. We will be staying here for a month. You can see the lake - it is lovely. I will write a letter soon. Love, Gerda.

G.077.02 - Lausanne (Switzerland) 

657. Lausanne. Royal-Hotel et funiculaire Lausanne-Ouchy.

A funicular is a type of cable railway system. The line Lausanne-Ouchy was opened in 1877 as the first funicular in Switzerland. 

"The term funicular derives from the Latin word funiculus, the diminutive of funis, meaning 'rope'." - "The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is looped over a pulley at the upper end of the track." [Wikipedia]

Bergbana (engelska funicular, franska funiculaire) är en typ av spårtrafik med större stigningsvinkel än vad som är normalt för järnväg och spårväg. - En vagn är fast förankrad i var ända av en eller flera stållinor, och vagnarna balanserar ut varandra viktmässigt. På banans toppstation finns maskineriet med ett stort linhjul som vanligtvis drivs av en elmotor men i äldre tider förekom ångmaskiner. Runt detta linhjul löper då stållinan, en vagn hänger i var ända av linan, och när den ena vagnen är på väg ned är den andra på väg upp; de pendlar och möts endast på mötesspåret på mitten av banan. [Wikipedia/svenska]

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sverige)
From: Gerda (Lausanne, Switzerland, 19 September 1915)

Schweiz d. 19 sept. 15
K. bror! Jag är nu ute ensam på en lustresa på sjön. Sänder dig en vy härifrån. Tänker du får det fort. Kära hälsningar, syster Gerda.

Switzerland, 19 sept 1915
Dear brother, I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. Sending you a view from here. I hope you will recieve it soon. Love, sister Gerda.

G.077.03 Evian-les-Bains 

2344. Evian-les-Baines - Terrasse de la Source Cachat

To: Herr Carl Emanuelsson* (Gerda's and Gustaf's older brother)
Storegården, Fristad, Suède (Schweden) 
From: Gerda (Evian-les-Baines, France, 21 September 1915)

"Här dricker de vatten eller brunn"
"Here they take the waters at the spa"

Evian-les-Baines [Frankrike] 21 sep. 15

Käre Bror! Sänder dig en vy medan jag ännu är här. Reser till Lyon igen om fredag. Hoppas ni alla äro krya. Jag mår utmärkt. Jag tycker så mycke om det här. Skulle gärna stanna ännu några veckor. Hj. hälsningar / Gerda

Trots kriget verkar det som att Gerdas arbetsgivare (hennes identitet och nationalitet okänd för mig, men uppenbarligen av väldbärgad överklass, och kanske amerikan) hösten 1915 kunde resa med båt över Genèvesjön mellan Èvian-les-Baines i Frankrike och Lausanne i Schweiz, åtföljd av sin svenska kammarjungfru. Gerda verkar också ha fått lite ledighet för att turista på egen hand då och då, eftersom hon på det andra vykortet skriver att hon är "ute ensam på en lustresa på sjön". 

---

Evian-les-Baines [France] 21 Sep 1915
Dear Brother, I'm sending you a view while I'm still here. Will go back to Lyon again on Friday. I hope you are all well. I'm very well. I like it here so much. I would not mind staying here for a few more weeks. Best wishes from Gerda.

In spite of the ongoing war, in the autumn of 1915, Gerda's employer (identity and nationality unknown to me, but presumably a wealthy upper-class lady - possibly American) seems to have been able to travel across Lake Geneva between France and Switzerland, accompained by her Swedish maid. Gerda also seems to be allowed a bit of free time now and then, as on the second card she writes that she is out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. 

 G.078.01 - Christmas Greetings from Lyon

48. LYON - La Cathedrale St-Jean et vue panoramique sur la Saóne - T.T.

Lyon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon. It was begun in 1180 on the ruins of an even older church, and completed in 1476. In our own time it has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. (1998) [Wikipedia]

Katedralen i Lyon är en romersk-katolsk katedral tillägnad Johannes Döparen, och säte för ärkebiskopen i Lyon. Den började byggas 1180 ovanpå ruinerna av en ännu äldre kyrka, och avslutades 1476. Numera finns den med på UNESCOs världsarvslista. 

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda, Suède (Sverige)
From: Gerda (sent from Lyon, France, 12.12 1915)

Lyon d. 12.12.15
Käre bror! Sände dig ett litet paket om du fått det. Jag önskar dig en God jul och ett gott nytt år! Kära hälsningar, Gerda

Lyon 12.12 1915
Dear brother, I sent you a small package, if you have received it. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Love, Gerda

This is one the few photos of Gerda with a date attached to it. This photo was in a frame; but when I took it out, I found that it had been printed as postcard and was sent from Lyon 26 October 1915, from Gerda to her half-sister Sally; i.e. my grandmother, who was 15 years old in 1915. Gerda was born 15 October 1881.  I suppose the photo may have been taken for her 34th birthday.

Dettta är ett av få foton på Gerda som är daterat. Det var insatt i en ram, men när jag tog ut det upptäckte jag att det var tryckt som vykort, och hade skickats 26 oktober 1915 från Gerda i Lyon, till hennes halvsyster Sally (min farmor, 15 år gammal år 1915). Gerda var född 15 oktober 1881. Fotot kan ha tagits till hennes 34-årsdag. 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 604

G.076.02-03 - "Congratulations Are in Order" (1915) - Sepia Saturday 603

 Name-Day and Birthday Greetings, and a French Military Medal (1915)

G.076.02

803. Route de MONACO à NICE, la Baie d'Eze. - N.D. Phot.

To: Monseieur Gustaf Ekman, Storegården, Fristad, Sverige - Suède (via Suisse)
From: Gerda (Lyon, 2.6.1915)

Lyon d. 1 juni 1915
Sänder dig hjärtliga lyckönskningar på Gustafs-dagen. [6 juni] Hoppas det kommer i tid. Undrar mycke var du är nu, det är så länge sedan jag hörde från dig. Kära hälsningar, syster Gerda. - Skriv snart är du snäll!

Lyon 1 June 1915
Sending you best wishes for Gustaf's day [=Gustaf's name day in the Swedish calendar, 6 June]. I hope it will arrive on time. I wonder where you are now, it's been so long since I last heard from you. Love, sister Gerda. - Please write soon!

---

1 June, 1915. Gerda is still in Lyon, France. The family has always celebrated her brother's name-day on 6 June (evident by lots of name-day greetings in Gustaf's postcard album from previous years). For this occasion she doesn't want to send a card with images of La Guerre (the war), but chooses one with nice views - maybe bought on her pre-war travels. 

It's been so long since she last heard from her brother that she doesn't feel sure if he's still living in Brålanda. So she sends the card to the family farm at Fristad. Should he not be there, she trusts that they will forward it to him. She also does what she can to get the card sent to Sweden (Suède) via Switzerland (Suisse)  - another neutral country - rather than via Germany. (Possibly she also has in mind that Sweden and Switzerland often get mixed up by people of other nationalities, so by writing "Suéde via Suisse" she may also be hoping to point out the difference.) As the other postmark is illegible, we have no clue which way the card really took to Sweden, though - or when it arrived. 

---

1 juni 1915. Gerda befinner sig fortfarande i Lyon i Frankrike. I familjen har de alltid firat Gustafs namnsdag den 6 juni (det framgår av otaliga namnsdags-hälsningar från tidigare år i Gustafs vykortsalbum). Som gratulationskort väljer hon ett annat motiv än de från La Guerre (kriget) - antagligen köpt på någon av hennes resor före kriget. 

Det är så länge sedan hon sist hörde från sin bror att hon inte känner sig säker på om han fortfarande bor kvar i Brålanda. Hon väljer att skicka kortet till Storegården i Fristad, familjens "fasta punkt", där den äldste brodern Carl bor tillsammans med faderns änka och de yngre halvsyskonen. Om Gustaf inte befinner sig där, så vet hon att de kommer att eftersända kortet till honom. Hon gör också vad hon kan för att få kortet sänt till Sverige (Suède) via Schweiz (Suisse) - också neutralt i kriget - istället för via Tyskland. (Möjligen har hon också i åtanke att Sverige och Schweiz ofta förväxlas av personer av annan nationalitet . Genom att skriva "Sùede via Suisse" kan hon ha försökt vara övertydlig.) Eftersom den andra poststämpeln är oläsbar så framgår det dock tyvärr inte vilken väg kortet i själva verket tog, eller hur lång tid. Men kom fram gjorde det i alla fall!

G.076.03

Gen. Dubail - Gen. Joffre - Gen. de Maud'huy - Gen. de Pouydraguin
La Récompense Impromptue.
La Médaille Militaire accordée au chasseur Lamadon

Den improviserade belöningen.

Militärmedaljen tilldelas jägarsoldaten Lamadon

The impromptu Reward.

The Military Medal awarded to chasseur* Lamadon

*Chasseur, a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry (chasseurs à pied) or light cavalry (chasseurs à cheval) to denote troops trained for rapid action. [Wikipedia]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Médaille_militaire 

The Médaille militaire is a military decoration of the French republic. During WWI, 230.000 such medals were awarded - which is probably why I fail to find Lamadon, and what he did to deserve it. I guess he must have been kind of famous at the time, though - since the postcard doesn't bother to provide any further explanation. However, there are English Wikipedia articles about the generals Dubail, Joffre and de Maud'huy; and one in French about de Pouydraguin. 

*Footnote: When I first tried to interpret/decipher the meaning of the French text of this card, I happened to read chasseur as ”chausseur”, which means shoemaker. It didn't make much sense, but on the other hand, all the men on the card were wearing rather elegant boots ... An observant reader made me aware of my mistake, though, so I have now revised my original text above! ;-) 

Under andra världskriget delades det ut 230.000 franska Militärmedaljer. Därför är det kanske så konstigt att mina sökningar inte ger något svar på varför just Lamadon belönades med en sådan. De fyra generalerna återfinns däremot i Wikipedia-artiklar på engelska och franska.

*Fotnot: När jag först försökte tolka innebörden av den franska texten på det här kortet, så råkade jag läsa chasseur som "chausseur", vilket betyder "skomakare". Det verkade lite konstigt, men å andra sidan hade alla männen på bilden eleganta stövlar på sig... En observant läsare gjorde mig dock uppmärksam på mitt misstag i översättningen, så jag har nu reviderat texten ovan!  ;-)

Galerie Patriotique - A.N. Editeur
visé Paris N au verso

Chambre Synd. Francaise
des édites de la carte postale ill.

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Backa, Brålanda (Sverige) - Suéde (via Suisse)
From: Gerda (Lyon, 28.6.1915)

K. Bror! Sänder sig de hjärtligaste lyckönskningar på din födelsedag. Hoppas det kommer i tid. Har du fått mitt brev och kort, det är så längesedan jag hörde från dig. Kära hälsningar, syster Gerda. Skriv snart!

Dear Brother, Sending you my heartfelt best wishes for your birthday. I hope [the card] will arrive on time. Have you received my letter and card, it's been so long since I heard from you. Love, sister Gerda. Write soon!

3.7.1915 fyllde Gustaf 37 år.

3.7.1915 was Gustaf's 37th birthday.

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Linking to Sepia Saturday 603

G.075.01 - G.076.01 - Påskkort / Easter Cards, 1915

Dessa fyra påskkort är alla adresserade till "Smörtvet" Brålanda, istället för "Backa" Brålanda. Jag är inte säker, men gissar att Smörtvet kanske var ett gårdsnamn medan Backa var bynamnet, och att dessa kort skickades eller lämnades lokalt snarare än kom långväga ifrån. 

These four Easter cards are all addressed to Gustaf at  "Smörtvet" Brålanda, rather than "Backa" Brålanda. I'm not sure, but my guess is that Smörtvet is the name of a farm and Backa more like a small village; and that these cards were sent/delivered within Brålanda (a small rural locality) rather than sent from some other part of Sweden.

 G.075.01

G. Stoopendaal

Happy and pleasant Easter 1915
from A-----d

G.075.02

Hildur Söderberg

Tomten som sitter på ägget där
svänger lufvan och ropar så här:
God påsk jag önskar hvar vän så kär!

The elf on the egg
waves his hat and says
I wish Happy Easter
to every dear Friend

Happy Easter 1915
to Gustav from R--h

G.075.03

Hildur Söderberg

God påsk önskar gossen så glad

åt alla i denna vår stad.

Sina önskningars höjd han har nått:

En ballong och ett påskägg han fått.

Happy Easter! the happy boy says
to everyone in this town.
He got what he wished for himself:
A balloon and an Easter egg.

Best wishes for Easter 1915

from J--n

G.076.04

 Hildur Söderberg

Hvad tror ni om den stora frun, ser den inte förtjusande ut.

Och den glada mannen är och ser medtagen ut.
Glada helsningar medfölja
från D.S.

What do you think of the big lady,
doesn't she look charming.
And the happy man is and looks carried away.
With happy wishes
from D.S.

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Hildur Söderberg, 1885-1976, var en svensk målare, tecknare och illustratör. Hon studerade vid Kungliga Konsthögskolan i Stockholm 1906-1911. Som illustratör utförde hon bl.a. novellillustrationer i tidskriften Julhälsning. (Fler påskkort av henne finns i ett tidigare inlägg i denna blogg: Påskkort/Easter Cards 1914)

Hildur Söderberg, 1885-1976, was a Swedish painter and illustrator. She studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm between 1906-1911. She also made illustrations for short stories in a Christmas magazine.

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Georg Stoopendaal, 1866-1953, var en svensk målare och tecknare, född i Jönköping. Han genomgick ingen konstnärsutbildning utan var självlärd. Hann finns representerad på Nationalmuseum och Göteborgs konstmuseum.

Georg Stoopendaal, 1866-1953, was a Swedish painter and illustrator. He was  a self-taught artist, but is represented at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm, and the Gothenburg Museum of Art.