The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: Beg-Nov-54-Viel-Hesdin.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The local newspaper L'Abeille de la Ternoise for November 13, 1954, told this story:
"A brave trader in butter and eggs from Vieil-Hesdin, was returning, after having collected in the surrounding farms. As he approached the Forestel wood, it seemed to him that his engine had misfires, then that it had to be heating up, because our man was suddenly suffocating in his cabin. As a careful driver, he immediately pulled over to the side of the road and stopped his engine. Getting out, he was surprised to see moving around his car and, a dozen meters in height, a silent craft whose nature he could not detect, as it was so surrounded by fog or steam, and the heat that released the craft, propped up such that he felt the hair on his head grilled, as well as his mustache. A rather imprecise odor emanated from his car as well. Finally, after several flip-flops, the craft disappeared above the Forestel woods, not without leaving traces of leaves appearing toasted at the top of the trees in its path."
"Our shopkeeper, who wondered what all this meant, and whose home was no longer far, hurried back home and told his wife and neighbors what he had just seen. As a certain odor continued to emerge from his car, he immediately began to unload his crates in which were his butter and eggs. What was his amazement when he noticed that his butter had melted so much that it was... black. Also passing the review of his eggs, he noted, ah! rascals, that they were hard cooked. So this topped it all, because he could "yell" at the author(s) of what could just be a prank. Noticing his wife, he asked her what she had prepared for dinner. "I haven't had time to think about it yet, she replied." So raising his voice and with great bursts of laughter, because our shopkeeper is a philosopher, he told her, "Don't worry about today, or tomorrow, because we will certainly have enough dinner for a while. You can even invite the neighbors. You will make them eat appetizers."
"And our correspondent who sends us this news to add: "In Vieil-Hesdin, free and unlimited tasting of... hard-boiled eggs."
[Ref. abe1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ABEILLE DE LA TERNOISE":
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Definitely, Viel-Hesdin is a country loved by saucers. The following story sent to us by one of our friends also proves that in this happy corner of the Canche valley one can laugh.
A brave trader in butter and eggs from Vieil-Hesdin, was returning, after having collected in the surrounding farms. As he approached the Forestel wood, it seemed to him that his engine had misfires, then that it had to be heating up, because our man was suddenly suffocating in his cabin. As a careful driver, he immediately pulled over to the side of the road and stopped his engine. Getting out, he was surprised to see moving around his car and, a dozen meters in height, a silent craft whose nature he could not detect, as it was so surrounded by fog or steam, and the heat that released the craft, propped up such that he felt the hair on his head grilled, as well as his mustache. A rather imprecise odor emanated from his car as well. Finally, after several flip-flops, the craft disappeared above the Forestel woods, not without leaving traces of leaves appearing toasted at the top of the trees in its path.
Our shopkeeper, who wondered what all this meant, and whose home was no longer far, hurried back home and told his wife and neighbors what he had just seen. As a certain odor continued to emerge from his car, he immediately began to unload his crates in which were his butter and eggs. What was his amazement when he noticed that his butter had melted so much that it was... black. Also passing the review of his eggs, he noted, ah! rascals, that they were hard cooked. So this topped it all, because he could "yell" at the author(s) of what could just be a prank. Noticing his wife, he asked her what she had prepared for dinner. "I haven't had time to think about it yet, she replied." So raising his voice and with great bursts of laughter, because our shopkeeper is a philosopher, he told her, "Don't worry about today, or tomorrow, because we will certainly have enough dinner for a while. You can even invite the neighbors. You will make them eat appetizers."
And our correspondent who sends us this news to add: "In Vieil-Hesdin, free and unlimited tasting of... hard-boiled eggs.
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The tone of the article is that of the joke, of the invented story. It seems to me that there is little chance that this really happened. But who knows for sure? Thus:
Probable journalistic invention.
To be taken in consideration:
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Viel-Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais, craft, engine, effects, heat, eggs, butter, trader, truck, van
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | January 27, 2021 | First published. |
