A Brief History of my Family in France - Part 4
Continuation of the story of my French family. This episode actually takes place in the United States of America.
The story starts here
Previous episode: Part 3
Henri in Detroit (1918)
Some time after the Battle, when finally a French warship arrived in Tahiti, Henri left Papeete.
He was posted on different ships. I don't remember the name of the ships.
At some point the ship he was posted on went to the Red Sea.
In the spring of 1918, Henri was sent to Detroit, Michigan.
Four fishing ships were to be transformed into minesweepers and transferred to the French Navy.
The modifications were to be made in Boston.
Henri was to take command of one of the four fishing boats.
His direct superior became sick with the Spanish flu and was hospitalized.
One day, when he was visiting him, Henri was told by the doctors that the sick officer would certainly die during the night.
Henri give this news to the crew who then went to visit their captain in their best uniforms, telling him how they enjoyed being under his command.
After the crew left, the captain thought about what just happened.
He guessed that if the crew cam to visit him, if must mean that he was going to die.
So, he decided to not sleep during the night.
He sat down in his bed and did not sleep. His temperature went up and he was sweating profusely.
But, when the sun rose the next morning, he was saved. After several more days in the hospital, he was ready to do his job.
Finally, the ships were ready to leave for Boston through lake Erie, the Welland Canal, Lake Ontario, the Saint Lawrence river and the Atlantic Ocean.
Continue to Part 5
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