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Words
of encouragement – 1942
After the invasion of Christmas 1941 , communications with the outside world were
thrown in to disarray. The administrative fleet , which provided supplies and
travel facilities for visitors and residents, consisted of three ships , the “
Erminie” and “ Armoricain” , both three masted schooners and
the trawler “ Cap Bleu”. There was also the ship the mail ship “
Belle Ile”. Travel to and from the islands was severely restricted, not
least of all by the lack of space at the ports of Halifax and North Sydney , which
were starting points for convoys across the Atlantic to Britain. However passenger
liaison obviously still continued despite a somewhat erratic service. A fortunate
find at a local stamp fair meant that the illustrated postcard was rescued from
probably an obscure destiny. Here we have a black and white photograph of the
“ Belle
Ile” with a printed message wishing a Happy New Year from Saint-Pierre and
Miquelon on the face . The correspondence side reads as follows :
My dear friend : A Happy and a Prosperous New Year. The Boches are on the run
and hundreds of our youth are joining Free French Forces for the final blow. Vive
les Allies. Best regards and will write you soon.
The card is addressed to a Mr. M. Cameron in Montreal and is franked with 1938
definitives overprinted F.N.F.L. and with surcharged values, which were issued
in 1942. It was censored on arrival in Canada. I can’t help feeling , though
, that the card itself is a prewar production, the supply shortages of all types
in the islands at this time would surely prevent the diversion of paper to the
production of fine photographic postcards. 
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