Henri's Quest

By Evelyn Dreiling

Henri, a young orphaned Frenchman raised in Boston, heads to his former home in Normandy, France in search of his family lost to the Nazis in WWII. After losing his parents in a devastating fire during a bombing attack in Normandy, he returns to 1955 postwar Germany and learns many secrets to his past. Then follow shocks that make him realize the true horrors of forced labour camps.
This story is the culmination of a trilogy of historical novels set in 20th century America. (1) "At the Fringes of Society": When an out-of-control husband threatens the life of his wife, Annie, to steal her father's fortune, this gilded age dilettante and her family flee from Boston to Canada, starting out new lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia among working classes to hide from him. (2) "White Jazz/Black Ops": Annie's son Alex and daughter Nicole and their risky pursuits take them into dangerous territory when they get involved with Mobs in the Capone era, and struggle with life and death challenges at the onset of World War II.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evelyn Dreiling
• Release date: Jul 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005800024

Evelyn Dreiling

Evelyn Cohoon Dreiling has recently retired from the Public Service where she worked at National Defence for 10 years. She has pursued a two-year program of Commercial Art at Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec and Nursing at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Montreal. She has taught watercolour courses and enjoys doing watercolor images for her book covers and other sketches. She spent many years travelling and living in parts of Canada and the United States. She now makes her home in North Vancouver, BC, where she lives near her two adult children and her daughter-in-law. She always had a great love of books, and is particularly interested in Canadian history, which she attempts to portray through the lives of ordinary people and their stories; she is an avid researcher and will no doubt will be working on another historical fiction novel soon.

Book preview

Henri's Quest

by Evelyn Cohoon Dreiling

This is a work of fiction. References to people, events, establishments, organizations or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity. All other characters and all incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.

Copyright 2022 by Evelyn Cohoon Dreiling

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN 9781005800024

Cover illustration by Kathleen Giles, interpretation by E. C. Dreiling

Dedicated to my family

Other Novels by Evelyn Cohoon Dreiling

The following E-Books are available on my web page on Smashwords.com

The Colquhouns in Canada

A Rebellious Spirit: Daniel Tracey

From Colony to Country: Michael Tracey

Canada's Coming of Age: John and Ellen Tracey

Paul, in Lingerie

Paco

At the Fringers of Society: A Boston Family's Survival in 1900 Halifax, Nova Scotia

White Jazz/Black Ops

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Henri and his search for his parents

Chapter 2 - Henri decides to travel to France

Chapter 3 - Henri meets Cossette aboard ship

Chapter 4 - Henri reclaims his lost heritage in Valois

Chapter 5 - Meets with Paris-Match Journalist on visit to D-Day landing site

Chapter 6 - Henri goes to Paris to Cossette's family home

Chapter 7 - Henri travels to Stuttgart to find family members

Chapter 8 - Henri's search for family at Refugee Camps

Chapter 9 - Henri's return to Valois with his new-found family

Chapter 10 - Rebuilding the families' homes

Chapter 11 - Henri plans to wed Cossette, brings her home to Boston

Chapter 12 - Henri and Cossette create a Non-Governmental Organization

Chapter 13 - Begin resettling displaced children from Camps

Chapter 14 - Article re the Nazi assault on Valois in Paris-Match

Chapter 15 - Back Home to Valois

Chapter 16 - The Boys of EspelKamp

Chapter 17 - Luca

Chapter 18 - Helena Visits Valois

Chapter 19 - The Wedding

Chapter 20 - The Hungarian Revolution

Chapter 21 - Back in Valois

Chapter 22 - Luca in America

Chapter 23 - Melissa and Luca

Chapter 24 - Luca's Marriage Proposal

Conclusion

Afterword

Bibliography

Endnotes

Prologue

"It only took one tank, one shell, one deranged soldier mad with fury to up-end the world of a small boy, to take the life of his parents and destroy his home. It was August, 1944, in the little village of Valois, where many were still celebrating the landing of the Allies on D-Day, June 6th on the beaches of Normandy, a few miles away. Hope for a future peace awakened a population deadened by years of war and strife. (Fictitious Article in Paris-Match September 1955)."

This novel is the third in a Family Trilogy series. In the first, At the Fringes of Society, I take you through the life of Annie McNutt, a spirited Boston dilettante, who struggles to evade her dangerous husband. Her flight from this ruthless con artist who sought only to impoverish her aging father and threaten her life to cover up his deceit ends when he is arrested, becoming a prisoner of war during World War One. She and her two children, Alex and Nicole, have to give up their gilded lifestyle for a hard-scrabble existence working in a factory and a diner. During the 1917 Halifax Explosion, their home is destroyed and they almost lose their lives. With time they overcome adversity with the help of a charming young lady, Alex' future wife, Beth, whose father is an influential Navy Captain.

In the second novel, White Jazz/Black Ops of this series, we learn the love life of Annie McNutt's daughter, Nicole and her errant jazz artist husband. We also follow Annie's son, Alex McNutt, a young American Navy sub-lieutenant who mistakenly got involved in a secret operation to distribute wireless radios to the underground in Occupied Northern France. It was 1944, near the end of the Second World War when the Allies planned the greatest military invasion ever, assembling troops, ships and planes from the allied nations of Europe and beyond, to land on the beaches of Normandy. In a succession of bizarre events, Alex joins the indomitable French Maquis in daring sabotage exploits. Through an intersection with this frenzied Allied invasion and his unscheduled mission he became embroiled with a young boy, Henri, whose parents fought their own war against the German occupiers in Normandy through sabotage and spying. Alex took Henri under his wing when the boy's family and farm got wiped out by an enemy tank patrol. This is Henri's story.

Chapter One

Tall, muscular and lithe, Henri Beaulieu caught the eye of the young female students where he attended Cambridge College in Boston. With his devil-may-care attitude he wore the tousled dark hair and brooding mannerisms of his hero, James Dean. He enjoyed and at the same time, grew irritated with some of the ladies' insipid flirtations. On a mild May day in 1955, with classes completed, Henri bicycled to his home along the banks of the Charles River. Once back in his parents' cottage, he dashed up the stairs along the open-plan hallway to his bedroom. He paused each time he passed the poster plastered on his bedroom wall above his bed, turning his head from side to side to check his look against James Dean, to confirm he had the right style and stance. Although fortunate to be living within a short bicycle ride of the university, sometimes he wished he were less under the thumb of his parents, further from the pastoral scenes and more centered in the busy and exciting Boston metropolis.

The neatly tended garden, with his Mom's climbing roses adorned the front porch of the summer-house turned year-round home, stood on a slope giving onto the river. The house had been designed and built by his seafaring grandfather, Navy Captain Simpson who gave the porch and front room a nautical look. He was perfectly situated near a deep-water pier where his grandfather's sloop was anchored. He loved nothing better than taking off in the Mary-Beth and sailing south towards Boston Harbour on windy summer days.

Born in 1936 in a small community near Courseulles-sur-mer, France, Henri, only son of the Beaulieus, Claudette and Jacques, grew up on a small family farm. Surrounded by fields and hedgerows, many farms were spread out across wide vistas where families raised some livestock and grew hay, oats and wheat on these pastoral four-acre farms. During World War Two, when Northern France fell victim to the German Blitzkrieg in 1940, Henri's mother, Claudette, doted on him and prolonged the fiction of his sheltered existence. At first, Henri scarcely noticed the strain his parents endured under the Occupation, so great was their love for him that they gave him the freedom and happiness that childhood promises. With her long dark hair and deep-set eyes, Henri's attractive mother was always a smart dresser, proud of her appearance, taking care to apply her lipstick and brush her hair every time she went out of the farmhouse, even if it was just to feed the chickens. Here she might be ready if a neighbour stopped past the farm on her way to market. But as time wore on, he noticed the worn dress she pulled over her spare frame, the changes in her voice no longer smiling, her worried brow when she passed the ever-present Occupiers in their pressed grey uniforms and tall, polished boots along the pebbly roads who stared scornfully whenever Henri and his mother walked to the market. Sometimes he could read the tension she failed to hide when a knock on the door could shake her to her scruffy shoes.

The stress only strengthened the resolve of Jacques, a ruddy-faced, imposing athletic man who joined the maquisards, an underground organization dedicated to sabotaging the Nazis, taking risks that frightened Claudette. Henri would often hear them arguing late into the evening as Henri lay in his little cot, watching the narrow images of their angry faces through a crack on the door frame. Yet, in the blur of simple, happy childhood events, he rarely questioned it all. C'est la guerre - that was all the explanation offered or needed.

One day two strangers came into the lives of the Beaulieus. Alexander McNutt, a U.S. Navy telegraph operator turned agent for the Office of Special Services, the O.S.S. and Jeff MacKinnon, a Canadian Infantryman with the Regina Rifles, Alex' brother-in-law.

June 1944. After a day of heavy artillery and bombing, roaring planes and thunderous tanks blasting their earth-shattering shells, the invasion was coming to an end; the allies had landed. Normal sounds, chickens and cows, swallows in the loft were silenced. Two men who had slipped into the barn unnoticed under cover of darkness the night before, began stirring. Henri's little dog, Pepe, barked noisily, rousing Claudette. Henri and his little terrier, conscious of impending danger, skulked towards the rear of the barn. At first Pepe barked crazily as strange noises emerged from the last stall in the barn. Henri's father had joined his men in an operation miles away, leaving Claudette to deal with this alone. Her first impulse was to stay behind locked doors in the house but eventually she had to venture out, if nothing but to shut this crazy dog up. Henri pointed at the last stall, whispering to his mother. She yelled at him to get back in the house and in a swift movement, grabbed a pitchfork and pointed the business end of it towards the last stall. Henri, who was hiding behind the door, watched:

Qui êtes-vous? Qu'est-ce que vous voulez?` She cried out.

The men, startled and sleepy-eyed, tried to explain their presence. Henri ventured forward, ready to protect his Maman, watching while she spoke harshly, trying to understand their stammering French. She relented finally and invited them into their salon. One of them, the tall one who was injured, lay on the sofa but only after Henri covered it with an old blanket from the trunk so he wouldn't dirty Maman's couch.

One of the soldiers did not stay. The next day, he checked his rifle, grabbed a biscuit and rushed off. He surprised everyone when he returned within a few minutes, offered thanks and said a last goodbye after giving over a large wireless radio for his partner. Henri was awe-struck by the wooden radio with all its dials and handles. The other man tried to get up but he hollered with the pain and passed out on the couch. Maman hid the radio, then tended his wounds.. Henri took a position at the end of the couch, rested his head on his bent arms and watched with fascination as the man stiffened and cried out while Claudette tried to help him drink and eat something.

It took several days for his leg to heal. Tall, with blond hair and blue eyes, features that would have cost him dearly if he were not well disguised, the man named Alex and Henri developed an easy friendship. Through his seven-year old child's eyes, Henri would only see his positive side and noted the reticence his mother showed towards the stranger. One day, Alex asked Henri for some sticks piled near the fireplace. Alex carefully chose a short length of balsam-like wood and carved a wooden Navy cruiser for Henri. While he whittled, he taught Henri to speak several words of English. Their language lessons could be comical as Henri spoke the French words for Alex, trying to improuve his pronunciation although he couldn't help laughing, even though his Maman admonished him. At the same time, Henri's facility with the accent and the rhythm of speech enabled him to learn English quickly.

Henri had vague, spotty recollections of his time on the farm. Childhood memories could be so fleeting, and yet, Henri loved to replay these idealized movies in his head, recalling a happier time... before the fire. Those images unfailingly intruded in his thoughts.

Chapter Two

Henri enjoyed quiet times spent in a clearing on a little hill overlooking the Charles next to the cottage. Here he could reflect and think about his future. Henri spotted the top of a familiar head of hair moving through the brush. No mistake about it, the mixed dark and light grey hair belonged to his father, Alex moved furtively back and forth among the poplars, making his way up the short hill up to Henri's not-so-secret hideaway. Although Alex was actually his step-father, Henri's many peaceful and happy years with his adoptive parents made him feel every bit a natural part of his new family. Alex had aged since taking early retirement from the Navy, he was able to maintain his sinewy physique and agility due to his daily physical regimen. His sharply defined facial features had fallen to jowly cheeks and his hair to wisps of varying shades of grey, yet he was still handsome. Alex handed Henri an envelope:

This came for you in the morning mail, said Alex, pointing to the officious-looking return address and the postmark, April 1955.

Henri grabbed the envelope and tore it open. He quickly perused the stilted language then spotted the information he needed.

This is from les Entreprises de Recherches Familiales. They are saying records exist for three of the Beaulieus but the department was unable to make contact. The other name, Groseillers, did not turn up any records, said Henri.

Henri looked deflated. The information only gave three names and little else and, without dates of birth or or last known addresses, there's no way to know if they are related to me or not.

Alex sat down next to Henri and rested his hand on Henri's shoulder. Alex hung his head down. I really thought I had something here, he said.

Moments passed in silence. Over and over Henri had contacted European government agencies seeking information on his family and the farm and he kept coming up empty. There were always bureaucratic excuses - the records were lost, there was a fire, the offices were closed permanently - Henri was getting nowhere.

I'll have to go myself, Dad, said Henri.

Henri, you know we talked about this, you're liable to be very disappointed. I don't think any records exist that can prove what happened to your parents. I'm very sorry, said Alex.

I don't care, I can't give up. There has to be something. I keep running against a stone wall, those officials don't seem to care, they keep giving me the run-around, said Henri. I'll find out even if I have to dig up the information myself.

I can't leave right now Henri, I'm involved in the veterans project as you know. It would be bad timing on my part to leave before it's finished, said Alex.

I can do this myself, Dad. You don't need to be there. I'll keep you posted of my whereabouts and findings, said Henri.

But, all alone in Europe! If you can't find your relatives, you'll have no one to help you.

I'll be fine Dad, really, said Henri, anxious to persuade Alex. It's France, my old home.

I know you're very resourceful and you can do whatever you set your mind to. It's not just up to me. You have to convince Beth! said Alex.

I was hoping you would help me there, said Henri, smiling.

Alex shook his head. His dear Beth, sweet and loving, was a force to be reckoned with when she believed in something strongly. She was protective of her little brood.

Beth stood near the hot stove, impatiently brushing the stray hairs away with one hand and pulling the door open every few minutes while she waited for the roast to brown. She glanced frequently at her young daughter, Melanie, who, with her golden curly hair, was her Mom in miniature, as she worked on her puzzle on the side table in the next room.

Beth adjusted her apron tied around her ample bosom and waist and tugged at the paisley print, loose-fitting top that flattered her motherly figure and dark blond hair. Beth was a beauty in her day but, like Alex, was beginning to show worry lines in spite of great care with her rose-tinted make-up over her lovely pale face and shadow over bright blue eyes. She turned suddenly when Alex and Henri came towards the kitchen and smiled.

Alex approached and cuddled her, whispered loving words in her ear. This put Beth on her guard, especially as Henri smiled his prettiest smile as well.

Can we just talk for a few minutes? said Alex.

But I'm in the middle of ... Oh well, OK, just a few minutes, said Beth.

They pulled their chairs up to the kitchen table. Henri summed up the story of his research into the events that led to the sad, terrible loss of his mother and father and destruction of their family farm in 1944. It was a story that Beth and Alex knew very well, in particular, Alex. He was the one who had rescued Henri on that terrible day. When that errant Nazi tank blew up the barn, killing Claudette and Jacques, and brought down the farm house, Alex did not hesitate to pull Henri from the crumbled wreckage, saving his life. As Henri grew older, nightmares rattled him to the core and kept him awake at night, nightmares of the terrible fire. He directed his anger against the Nazis who had smashed his family's peaceful existence.

I've tried everything. Like I told Dad, I think I'm just getting the run-around. Henri repeated with Beth, then lowered his head, partially hiding his face behind his hand. I want to find out what happened to my parents. I want to go to Valois and find out if any of the family still lives in the area. Before he could finish, Beth jumped up from her chair.

Oh no! Go to France? By yourself? Out of the question. Too dangerous, said Beth.

Oh Mom, how else will I find out about my family or the farm? That place should be mine now, although I'm not looking to profit from it. I just want to find out what happened.

Henri, you're too young, Dear, you're only nineteen. I'd be so worried, said Beth, growing frantic.

But this is something I have to do, Mom. I'd be fine, really, said Henri. He looked at Alex, his eyes pleading for support. Alex shrugged.

You can't be supporting him in this? asked Beth, staring at Alex.

Alex rose from his chair. We can only approve this on one condition; you must not make a move before consulting with us first, said Alex.

Oh! Alex, this could go very badly. You know what it was like during the war, said Beth.

Beth, the war has been over for ten years, things have changed. Between us, we can steer him towards a successful finding. With any luck, Henri could maybe put an end to the uncertainty, the gaps in our knowledge.

Actually, Dad could find the information you want if we just asked him, said Beth, referring to the Captain, her father who had long since retired.

We tried that, remember? He said he wouldn't be able to help us for at least six months, and even then, he doesn't speak French and he would have a hard time digging through old records. I get the impression he's not very keen on taking this on, said Alex.

Beth ran to the oven. Now look, my roast is all dried out! Beth uttered a huge sigh.

Don't worry, Honey, it will be delicious, said Alex.

Chapter Three

Henri had already plunged headlong into his plans to travel to France. He learned about ships, the Arosa line owned by a Swiss organization, that made frequent sailings from New York to Le Havre in Normandy, France. Most travellers were young students on cultural exchange voyages. The ships were not luxurious but suited students, immigrants and those seeking bargain fares.

Mom, I'd like to book a fare on this ship. I will be travelling with dozens of students about my age. We'll be chaperoned by this Swiss organization, we'll be taken care of, said Henri.

"You and your Dad have obviously got this all planned out. I can only say, if anything goes wrong Alex, I'll hold