The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: Beg-Oct-54-Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The regional newspaper La Voix du Nord, in the issue of the Artois for October 12, 1954, narrated:
Great excitement the other evening, in the Station district, in Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise. There was a persistent rumor that a Martian had stayed at the Hôtel du Trocadéro, we obviously did not know under what conditions...
The owner of the hotel, friend Jean, had found on the counter in the coffee room, a form duly completed, similar to the one presented to travelers requesting a room.
Name and first name incomprehensible, for everyone, Saint-Pol does not yet have a Martian interpreter. On the other hand, we read these details: "coming from Mars and heading towards Venus.", as well as some other saucy annotations.
A case of conscience arose for friend Jean, who, respectful of the regulations in place, wondered whether he should, as the obligation is made to all hoteliers, hand over the Martian file at the gendarmerie. He told several of his friends about it - a few of whom did not show, in this case, a foolproof discretion - since like wildfire, the news spread throughout the city.
Someone observed, "But this Martian is possessed by the devil, since he has chosen a 'Demont' to house him." The night passed in anxiety, a sleepless night... The Martians did not appear; on the other hand, certain cross-checks made it possible to identify the author of the deception, who was moreover very "sorry" to be confused.
Episode of the era of the flying saucers, an original joke that all Saint-Pol laughs at.
The local newspaper L'Abeille de la Ternoise, of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise in the Pas-de-Calais department for October 16, 1954, made allusions on page 1 to a certain real farce or farce invented by another newspaper, about a "Martian" who would have taken a room at the Hotel du Trocadéro:
"If it is true that a hotel form was filled out in the name of an interplanetary being, let us specify that it was not at all not a St-Polais "very pained" nor even "pained" quite simply. In fact, in life, you have to help each other and the St-Polais who lent his pen to the Martian only did him the same service as another St-Polais was happy to get in Spain and the summer last, in a country whose language he did not know well."
"To close on a practical note, let's add that the friendly director of the Trocadéro, who, whatever has been said, is not "distraight", said Wednesday morning in a hotel in the same district as the Martian in question was at home for another eight days. We will therefore have the opportunity to review it."
[Ref. vdn1:] NEWSPAPER "LA VOIX DU NORD":
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Great excitement the other evening, in the Station district, in Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise. There was a persistent rumor that a Martian had stayed at the Hôtel du Trocadéro, we obviously did not know under what conditions...
The owner of the hotel, friend Jean, had found on the counter in the coffee room, a form duly completed, similar to the one presented to travelers requesting a room.
Name and first name incomprehensible, for everyone, Saint-Pol does not yet have a Martian interpreter. On the other hand, we read these details: "coming from Mars and heading towards Venus.", as well as some other saucy annotations.
A case of conscience arose for friend Jean, who, respectful of the regulations in place, wondered whether he should, as the obligation is made to all hoteliers, hand over the Martian file at the gendarmerie. He told several of his friends about it - a few of whom did not show, in this case, a foolproof discretion - since like wildfire, the news spread throughout the city.
Someone observed, "But this Martian is possessed by the devil, since he has chosen a 'Demont' to house him." The night passed in anxiety, a sleepless night... The Martians did not appear; on the other hand, certain cross-checks made it possible to identify the author of the deception, who was moreover very "sorry" to be confused.
Episode of the era of the flying saucers, an original joke that all Saint-Pol laughs at.
[Ref. abt1:] NEWSPAPER "L'ABEILLE DE LA TERNOISE":
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- Big fuss the other day between Pierremont, Fleury and Libessart...
In the fields, cultivators returning home suddenly saw a bizarre craft, of a light gray tint, from which emerged a strange individual emitting red gleams. Curiously enough, the craft seemed to be in trouble and literally splashing around in the ground. One did not alert the gendarmerie brigade, retained by the arrival of a Martian at the Trocadéro in Saint-Pol, but the brave men of the country set out and ended up finding that it was simply the 2 CV van of an electrician from Saint-Pol, carrying on its flanks the famous red corsairs "with nutcracker chin" who will be the heroes of the Marine ball this Saturday. Nevertheless, the story made a fuss, because many people certified in good faith that it was a saucer.
- Let's talk, if necessary, of the Martian at the Hôtel du Trocadéro that our colleague La Voix du Nord featured on Tuesday (15 days late...). If it is true that a hotel form was filled out in the name of an interplanetary being, let us specify that it was not at all not a St-Polais "very pained" nor even "pained" quite simply. In fact, in life, you have to help each other and the St-Polais who lent his pen to the Martian only did him the same service as another St-Polais was happy to get in Spain and the summer last, in a country whose language he did not know well.
To close on a practical note, let's add that the friendly director of the Trocadéro, who, whatever has been said, is not "distraight", said Wednesday morning in a hotel in the same district as the Martian in question was at home for another eight days. We will therefore have the opportunity to review it.
- The Commune of Azincourt, famous for the battle which, as the other says, bears its name, had its hour of glory (in the present century), because a saucer flew over it two years ago. The Interplanetary, we remember, had been attracted by the brochure of the St-Paul tourism office who cited this town. Propaganda, decidedly, pays. Indeed, at the last census Azincourt had 20 more inhabitants. Long live advertising! In l'Abeille, of course.
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This is of course only one of a number of example of the regional newspapers joking about "Martians".
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, Pas-de-Calais, press, Martian, joke
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | November 7, 2020 | First published. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | October 26, 2021 | Addition [vdn1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [vdn1]. |
