Australias National Archive is attempting to determine the way a letter flown from Paris by balloon throughout the Prussian siege wound up in the collection
The small letter was compiled by a guy within the French capital in 1870 and it is addressed to his mother in Normandy
A (or Ch Charles) Mesnier (or Mesmier) asks his bonne mère whether she and also the family are secure
The Nation’s Archives stated there is no record of methods the intriguing bit of history showed up around australia
Assistant director-general Louise Doyle told the BBC the letter emerged throughout discussions using its French counterpart in regards to a potential exhibition
I was diving into our collections to determine what material connects to France also it was remarkable to locate this intriguing bit of history
Prussian forces trapped Paris from September 1870 until The month of january 1871 – throughout the Franco-Prussian war – once the French surrendered the town
The stamp shows the letter was published in Paris on 7 December in the center of siege and it was received approximately not much later by Madame Mesnier
We do not need any greater than a note that you’re in good condition to reassure us creates the guy whose age is unknown in small neat script
To date the siege hasn’t really had an impact on the condition in our health We do not have much meat every single day so when we all do acquire some it’s not so much but you can manage as situations are with no one out of our folks are worrying
Embrace for me personally uncle and aunt and Maria when i embrace you with all of me Your devoted boy
The guy also particulars the fervour and dedication his fellow Parisians displayed in holding back the Prussians
We can’t succeed in most our attacks however i possess the firm conviction my good mother the ultimate success is going to be for the just cause he creates
The small letter measures only 20cm x 13cm and it is labelled componen ballon monte – for delivery by heat balloon
Almost 2 million letters were sent by doing this throughout the siege to bypass the enemy after cables were cut underneath the River Seine
The balloons frequently transported important people west in addition to homing pigeons which may return messages to Paris
Letters were delicately folded right into a small envelope so as much as possible could fit within the balloon
I’ve found it romantic and stylish all within the same breath and a significant beautiful the connection this guy has with mother stated Mrs Doyle
She stated it had been possible the letter was purchased at auction after which contributed towards the Queensland Telegraph Museum nevertheless its journey wasn’t entirely obvious
The Nation’s Archives wishes to see whether there’s a good Australian reference to the letter and whether the senders relatives live in Queensland