Ships In

I just been down town in Saint-Malo to take the picture of a 100 year old gentleman. I am going to sent it to his nephew who is for the moment in Florida working on a book, and unable to attend the celebrations. The man in question is an ex diplomat, son of a French diplomat of good family who served as French consul in Dublin at the time of the opening of the first Dail(Irish parliament) at the Mansion House (residence of the Lord Mayors of Dublin).

My daughter yesterday gave an exposé at school on the subject of the irish who faught in the British army during the first world war using the family photographs and material available she outlined the subject well. She spoke of Big Jack DUHAN her paternal great grandfather, a sergent major in the Royal Munster Fusaliers who was born in 1877 and served in India and South Africa before WWI.

That the man I was just with was active in Dublin( his University career in Trinity ) at the same time is wonderful. The world in which he finds himself so far removed from the Edwardian time in which he spent his youth. Let no man say "Thus far and no further"

Tomorrow we're off to Dusseldorf for five days. I'll let you know how we got on. Bye for now and sing Happy Birthsday for Mr. Alfred Blanche probably the last man alive who sat in on the birth of a great nation.