Dear Little Fred!

On Sunday when I was in Rivesaltes, Mama had not gotten any mail from you.  Hopefully something came in the meantime.  I am writing today already although I plan to take this letter along to Rivesaltes.  What are you up to?  Do you still work in the fields?  I am in Barcarès again as our work in the castle was finished.  Here I am a barber.  I don’t have to perform other chores.  The work here in Camp is not bad.  Pull weeds, pick up paper and other little things.  We can go to the village at night between 6 and 9 PM.  The food is good here.  One could use more of it.  This week we got: potato, cabbage, noodles and beans.  What do you eat?  We can buy fruit in the village.  They have peaches, pears, apples, plums and tomatoes.  You will remember from last year that there are lots of tomatoes here. The food in Rivesaltes is not as good as here.  Mama gets a food supplement from Mrs. Wolf.  Don’t mention this when you write as your letter goes through the censor first and he does not have to know everything.

I haven’t been to visit Papa in the last 14 days.  They have new regulations.  One cannot enter except during visiting hours.  So it does not work out anymore on Saturdays, that I travel through Perpignan on my way to Rivesaltes to visit Papa first. Visiting hours are on Thursdays from 1-3 PM, Sundays 2-4 PM.  We got a long letter from Margot.  The censor objected to the small handwriting.  How is the weather where you are?  It is somewhat windy here.  The sea is close.  I don’t think further than 200 m behind the barracks.  I go in the water quite often. The water tastes pretty salty.  Sometimes the waves break quite high, higher than the Rhine waves when the “Beethoven”[1] sailed by   The water is a very dark blue color.  Would you have sketching material when the fishing boats move out.  They are small sailboats.  Last time I counted 15 boats at once.  They were so far away that they were tiny. I am sending you my address.

My address is

H.W. 416 G.T.E.

6, rue Traverse de Pia

Perpignan, (Pyr.-Or.)

You don’t have to write to me as I get to Rivesaltes almost every week.  Maybe if you have so much to write that it doesn’t fit on 2 sides.  I may receive more than 2 sides as our letters go rarely through the censor.  Now all my love and kisses

from your brother

HUGO

My dear little Fred!

I am quite angry with you that you don’t write me anymore. I worry so much about you – already 14 days without any mail from you.  I can’t imagine what is going on.  You just can’t do that anymore, not to write to me for such a long time, better once too often.  I hope that I finally get a letter from you tomorrow.  How is your vacation trip working out?  Did Albert write your directeur ?  He wrote me that he would write and maybe take you along to Grenoble where he is going on vacation.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful, you little travel bug?  If he hasn’t written yet, talk to your directeur and if he doesn’t like the idea, write me immediately as the OSE will take care of it in Lyon.  And write to Albert too.  Now, little Fritz, what do you say to the fact that I now have my own room?  I live in barrack #17 and am in charge of #17 and #8.  I receive the better nourishment from the OSE, bread supplement every day and also additional food from barrack #8.  You can see that things aren’t so bad for me anymore and you don’t have to worry about me.  I still have to move in and also pay attention to my guest (son Hugo).

Thousand kisses and love from your MAMA who worries about you.