Autumn - Winter 1939

Saturday, December 9 as we were leaving at about 7 p.m., the artilleryman Eduoard Dubrulle fired a shot into his left knee. Immediately alerted, the surgeon and officers took the necessary measures. The wounded man was evacuated and the gun and shells were sealed. The mystery of this accident shocked us. Later, I had to appear before the MPs at Audun le Roman as a witness. The surgeon did too. After we returned to Jouy, he invited me to eat with him at the restaurant as his guest. He insisted. He even demanded that I sit with him in 2^nd class. Being the guest of a surgeon, who worked at the Somain hospital in civilian life, was a nice memory. Lieutenant Derosme was a charming guy. Thanks, Doc. Later, we found out that charges were dismissed against the wounded man. No court-martial or indemnity for this soldier from Bruay les Béthune.

Let’s go back to Saturday evening, December 9. We left Jouy and arrived in Montigny les Metz at 2 a.m. We are housed in a barracks (Colin area). Around noon, with a few friends, we took the tram to the center of Metz, about 2 km from the barracks. We went to a restaurant and had a nice time stuffing our faces to forget the rations on the train and the accident that happened the previous night.