2016-02-17 Wed

A letter penned by a son to his beloved mother, dated 6th December, 1870 has been discovered by Australia’s National Archives. The letter was sent out by a man named Charles Mesnier of Paris to his mother, care of Monsieur Grussin (or Grossin) at 8 Place de la Ville, Pont-Audemer, in Normandy using a hot air balloon during the Prussian siege.

The Germans completely surrounded Paris for more than four months in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. Balloon mail was used widely by people stranded in Paris who wanted to reach out to the rest of France. These letters were flown mostly at night and thousands of letters were delivered.

It’s not sure as to how this letter ended up in Australia, but it would be fascinating to know more. The emotional letter tried to convey and assure his mother that he is in good health. The single-sheet letter is just 207mm x 133mm, folded into an envelope with the address on the reverse side and Eure, the department where Pont-Audemer is located, written on the top left along with “par ballon monte” — for delivery by hot air balloon.