The business began in January 1920 in Oloron Sainte Marie. Fifteen months have passed since the signing of the armistice which put an end to the appalling butchery of the great war of 14-18. Here as elsewhere, the capital of Haut-Béarn is trying to heal its wounds. Many people have lost a father, a brother, a son or an uncle. There are in Oloron 317 soldiers mobilized under the flags who sacrificed their lives in the trenches fighting the German enemy over a vast territory stretching from the Somme to the Marne. As the months go by, life gradually resumes with its markets, its fairs, its factories. Joseph, 35, is one of those cohorts of workers who clock in every morning at the time of hiring in the factories of the neighboring town of Bidos. With Rose, his young wife native of the department, he has just put down his suitcases in Oloron after the two lovers were united in marriage on July 16, 1918 in front of the Mayor of Toulouse.
It all started well though
On January 17, 1920, a well-dressed lady came to Rose and Joseph’s home. She rings. The wife busy with the maintenance of the home opens: “yes, that’s why? “. The visitor introduces herself. She says she is the sister of the head of the house, Joseph Couillens, whom she demands to see right away. Frown on the part of Rose who is as surprised by this surprise visit as to learn that she has a sister-in-law whom she had never heard of before. “Joseph? But he is at work, at the factory, I will accompany you”. Taken by a doubt, Rose Lafatigue marries Couillens decides to accompany the visitor to the Mazères de Bidos factory where her loving husband works. The two ladies come to the entrance, they ask the foreman to call Joseph immediately. A few minutes later, the worker dressed in his overalls shows up. Facing the two ladies, he almost chokes…
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