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The Bismarck Tribune
Bismarck, Mandan, Burleigh County, Morton County, North Dakota
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French ports in Brittany, especially Brest, are bustling with preparations to receive returning American Legion veterans. Lingering A.E.F. structures and memories from WWI evoke nostalgia, with planned Franco-American celebrations at the former officers' club. (Dateline: Brest, June 4.)
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USING A. E. F.
BUILDINGS
French Towns Alive
With Preparations to Receive
Second Expedition
Brest, France, June 4.--The ports of Brittany, from St. Nazaire which saw the first Yanks to Brest which sped away the last, are alive with preparations to receive returning members of the American Legion.
Familiar sights will meet the American eyes but there will be new childish faces in the streets. The freckled-faced four-year-olds of the Breton countryside who fattened on canteen chocolate, white bread and maple syrup have reached the age of adolescence. Many an outfit will find its mascot almost unrecognizable.
The cafe "Au Caveau," in that winding thoroughfare here known as the Rue de Siam, is still converting dollars into paper francs as it did on A. E. F. paydays.
Mme. Le Borgne has among her customers a number of people related by marriage or otherwise to Americans, and who occasionally receive remittances from the States.
The Good Old Days
"Those were the good old days," madame says. "My American clients still write me: I wish I knew enough English to reply to them. Whenever a letter comes, I have to find somebody to translate it. And those who possess of the English are rare in Brest now that les Yankees are gone."
Hard by the Cafe Au Caveau is the former clubhouse of the Knights of Columbus. A photographer's shop adjacent still displays portraits of newly made sergeants in olive drab, and petty officers in navy blue.
One of the last remaining structures of the A. E. F. in Brest is not particularly popular with the natives. It is an R. T. O. office near the railroad station, which has been converted into a bureau for the local tax collector.
Duckboards Gone
The duckboards of Camp Pontanez have all been carted away. Not a vestige of that mudflat remains to tempt the former doughboys returning to France in September. A few shacks of the A. E. F. vintage have been taken over by steamship companies as warehouses or dock offices.
The officers of the French Navy and Army, stationed in and about Brest, have inherited the old officers' club frequented by the A. E. F. during the war-time period. Generosity on the part of a group of American officers resulted in the conversion of the property into a permanent military and naval club.
The building will be the scene of a number of Franco-American fetes in honor of the returning Legion contingent.
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Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Brest, France
Event Date
June 4
Key Persons
Outcome
preparations in brittany ports to receive returning american legion members; franco-american fetes planned at former officers' club.
Event Details
Ports in Brittany, including Brest and St. Nazaire, are preparing to welcome returning American Legion members. Familiar sites from A.E.F. era persist, such as Cafe Au Caveau still serving American-related customers, former Knights of Columbus clubhouse now a photographer's shop displaying old portraits, R.T.O. office converted to tax bureau, duckboards from Camp Pontanez removed, A.E.F. shacks used as warehouses, and officers' club inherited by French military for permanent use with planned fetes.