265 years after they were written, researchers have opened more than 100 letters to French sailors from the Seven Years’ War era. The letters were sent in 1757/58 by wives, fiancées, parents and brothers and sisters to the 181 crew members of the warship “Galatée”. In several French ports, shipments narrowly missed crews.
When the ship was captured by the British, the authorities sent the letters to England. But there they ended up in a warehouse – and have now been discovered by a researcher from the University of Cambridge at the National Archives in Kew.
“Was the first person allowed to read letters”
“There were three stacks of letters held together with ribbons,” says historian Renaud Morieux. “I realized I was the first person to read these deeply personal messages since they were written.” The actual recipients would not have had this opportunity. “It was very emotional,” Morieux said.
It took Morieux several months to decipher the letters. The spelling and punctuation were therefore greatly mixed up. The historian published his research results in the magazine ‘Annales. History, Sciences Sociales.”
Letters about passion, pandemics and everyday concerns
The letters were about personal matters. “They show how much we all face major challenges in life. When we are separated from loved ones by events beyond our control, such as pandemics or wars, we try to stay in touch, reassure ourselves, care for people and keep the passion alive,” said Morieux. “Today we have Zoom and WhatsApp. In the 18th century, people only had letters.”
“Good night, my dear friend”
The historian cited as an example a letter from Marie Dubosc to her husband, First Lieutenant Louis Chambrelan. “Good night, my dear friend. It’s midnight. I think it’s time to rest.” The couple would never see each other again – the woman died shortly afterwards.
Source: Krone
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