Today we have a letter to Harry in San Francisco from Lucienne Simier who was a fellow prisoner with Helene at Ravensbrück. We saw a letter that Helene wrote a to Lucienne on January 22. More information on Lucienne and others Helene met from Angers, France can be found at the post of April 18.
May the 10th 1946
1 Avenue Marie Talet
AngersDear Harry,
I just got your parcel and my friend’s letter telling me your dear mother has come to you. It is so sweet of you thinking to send me such good things. You certainly are the dear boy your mother spoke to me of and I thank you very, very much indeed.
Since your mother’s letter, I am thinking of you and trying to imagine your meeting. I feel so happy about it. At last, my dear Helen is free. I cannot tell you how much she has been for me. I love her like a sister and all those she loves I love too. You must think I am very “Frenchy” in telling my feelings!! I have been so near feeling no more that I feel now much stronger and enjoy what is good. And your mother may explain – she knows me so well.
I hope she will write to me very soon – she has such a lot to tell me. Mrs…. writes that you are getting an apartment all together. I hope your mother is not too tired after such a long journey. How is she? She was so thin when I left her.
I must leave you now. Tell your mother I am with her with all my heart. I wish her such a lot of happiness, poor dear. She must be missing terribly your dear father. I kiss her most affectionately.
For you and Eva mille remerciments et mes sentiments très affectieux.
L Simier
There is nothing to add to this beautiful letter except how heartening it is to know that in the depths of hell, these women found and comforted each other. No wonder Istanbul was such an isolating and wrenching experience for Helene – imprisoned again but with no moral support from fellow prisoners and no way of contacting her husband.