The Hands the Built the Mid-Atlantic Coast

   —By Tiffany Amber Stockton

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Moving on to more about the people who shaped life along the Delmarva coast. When I think about those people, I usually picture watermen out on the water. But somebody had to build the boats they worked from, and somebody had to carve the decoys that hunters set out on the marsh. Then, I realized those people rarely make it into stories. If they do, there's barely a mention. And that sent me on one of those rabbit hole research deep dives to learn more. This post is the result.

The Boats Built for the Bay

The shallow bays behind Chincoteague and Assateague have constantly shifting channels. A waterman needs a boat that can carry a heavy load of oysters or clams through it. Builders on the Atlantic side of Virginia’s Eastern Shore came up with a V-bottomed skiff for tonging and crabbing. It had flared sides, a wide beam, and a straight, raked bow, and it had a reputation for being both fast and seaworthy. Another local design, the seaside bateau, was about twenty feet long and drew barely a foot of water.

What I love about these boats is that they weren’t designed on paper in some office. They were worked out by trial and error, one builder and one customer at a time, until the shape was right for the water where it went to work.

A lot of that building happened in boatyards, and plenty more happened in backyards. A man with the right tools, a stack of lumber, and a lifetime of watching the water could put together a working boat in the space beside his house.

The Man Who Built His Own House

The craftsman who caught my attention was Ira Hudson, who lived from 1873 to 1949. Like me, he was born in Maryland and grew up in Delaware. Eventually, he settled on Chincoteague and knew my great-grandfather. He and his wife Eva raised nine children there, some of whom were friends with my grandfather. He built his own home, he built boats, and in 1897 he started carving decoys.

I'm even more amazed that Hudson never used a pattern. Every decoy came out of his own eye and hands. No two were quite alike. He carved ducks, geese, and shorebirds, and he used whatever wood he could get, including driftwood and pieces of old ship masts. He gave his birds different poses and shaped the tails in different ways, even using plain iron upholstery tacks for eyes.

Carving was a family business in the Hudson house. The children helped with the sanding, with bushel baskets full of decoy heads waiting for their turn. Three of his children, Norman, Delbert, and Alice, went on to design and sell decoys of their own. Estimates put the number of decoys Ira carved into the tens of thousands. My grandfather had a few of them in his apartment above the barber shop. The photo to the right is the bottom of one of the decoys. It's impressive knowing these decoys were all made by a single man and his family with nothing but time and hand tools.

Today, his decoys are sought after by collectors around the world. He did his job well.

Hudson wasn’t the only one, though. Miles Hancock was born in Delaware in 1887, and his family moved to Chincoteague when he was seven. Hancock was a market gunner, and he had a houseboat he named Tarry Awhile and guided hunters from the city. Whenever Hudson was swamped with orders, Hancock pitched in carving decoys.

Hancock lived to be 87 and Hudson lived to age 76. With both, you could tell what kind of men they were just by looking at how they worked. A lifetime of knowledge lived in people's hands.

Work as Worship

Scripture talks about skilled work as well. In Exodus 31, God singles out a craftsman named Bezalel. He fills him with His Spirit and gives him skill, ability, and knowledge for working in wood and metal. The Bible treats craftsmanship as a gift from God to be used well, and I find that remarkable.

Colossians 3:23 puts it in everyday terms: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord." I don’t think Ira Hudson set out to create art. He was feeding a big family and filling orders. But he gave each bird his full attention, and that’s why people are still looking at his work a century later.

Casper Ten Boom: Faithful in Small Things

by Martha Hutchens

Casper Ten Boom, Public Domain
sourced from Yad Vashem

Most people have heard about Corrie ten Boom. She lived the first fifty years of her life quietly working in her family’s watch shop, but when the Germans invaded Holland she put together a large organization dedicated to saving Jewish lives. What’s more she did it almost accidentally. Or to be more accurate, as she says herself, God used her to organize it.

I first read The Hiding Place many years ago. It gives snapshots of a lot of people in the Ten Boom family who worked to save people from the German occupation. But the three that we see the most are Corrie, her sister Betsie, and her father Casper. It’s Casper that I want to talk about today.

Casper was born in May of 1859. As an adult he took over his father’s watch shop, where he repaired and sold watches and clocks. The opening scene of The Hiding Place is of the party the ten Booms held on the hundredth anniversary of their shop. This was in January of 1937.

It seemed that the entire town of Haarlem showed up for the party. Later on in the book, Corrie refers to her father as Haarlem’s grand old man, and this scene certainly supports that idea. Casper was seventy-seven on this date and had lived a remarkable life. But it was a quiet life. Casper and his wife, Cornelia, had four children. They lived in rooms above their watch shop, rooms that had originally been two living places and where the walls and floors never quite lined up. Cornelia’s sisters moved in with them, and Casper also reached out to multiple young people who did not have a place to go. In all, he and Cornelia raised four children and ten foster children.

Image by @gitanna, Deposit Photos

But this was not all they did. Somehow, even though the shop never seemed successful, it not only supported all these people, but it also supported carrying food and gifts to people in need all around Haarlem. Corrie notes that many people came to the watch shop not specifically to buy something or to get something repaired, but to talk with Casper, and sometimes to pray with him.

Casper kept the astronomical clock in his shop. Corrie talks about the railroad men and other people who needed to know the exact time coming to check their watches by his clock. What stuck out to me was the care that Casper took in keeping that clock running. Once a week for decades he traveled by train to Amsterdam to check against the official clock at the naval observatory. Corrie frequently traveled with him.

He always arrived a couple of hours early so he could visit the wholesalers who supplied him with watches and parts. Many were Jewish, and Casper enjoyed deep debates over the scriptures with them. Corrie enjoyed the cakes they provided her.

What struck me was how faithful Casper was to keeping that time correct, and the saying that a man who is faithful in little will be faithful in much.

Image by @MonkeyBusiness, Deposit Photos

Casper’s wisdom shines in multiple stories that Corrie shared, but she also spoke of his inability to remember to send a bill. When Corrie took over the office work, she slowly and carefully imposed a bookkeeping system. She never managed to convince him that the shop across the street was deliberately undercutting his prices though, even when they came over, checked his prices, and immediately lowered theirs.

Casper did see what was coming, as the following quotes demonstrate.

“It is wrong to give people hope when there is no hope. It is wrong to base faith upon wishes. There will be war. The Germans will attack and we will fall. Oh my dears, I am sorry for all Dutchmen now who do not know the power of God. For we will be beaten. But He will not.” (Spoken with as much anger as they ever saw him display after the Dutch Prime Minister spoke on the radio saying Germany would respect their neutrality. They invaded that night.)

“That is good, my son. For Holland’s battle has just begun.” (Spoken when many gathered after Holland surrendered, said specifically to a teenaged boy who said he would have fought.)

And, prophetically, “Give the child to me, Corrie.” He turned to a pastor who refused to take in a Jewish infant, “You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family.”

Casper was eighty when the Germans invaded. He was eighty-two when Corrie began her work with the underground. He knew everything that was happening in his home, even if he never could figure out why so many people he met had the last name Smit—the only surname used in the underground. The best estimate is that Corrie’s organization (and by extension, Casper’s) saved about 800 people.

Casper was eighty-four when he and most of his family were arrested by the Germans. When he was taken to the main Gestapo office for all of Holland, the chief interrogator wanted to send the old man home. He said he would take Casper’s word that he would not cause any more trouble.

Casper replied, “If I go home today, tomorrow I will open my door again to any man in need who knocks.”

Barracks at Majdanek concentration camp
Image by nokola@gmail.com, Deposit Photos

Casper only lived ten days in prison. Most of his family was released from prison except for Corrie and her sister Betsie. They were transferred to Ravensbrück, where Betsie died. Corrie was released on a clerical error a week later.

But inside the hidden room at the Ten Booms’ home, six people remained safe despite a long and thorough search. After approximately 48 hours, watching the home was turned over to the local police, one of whom was associated with the underground. Of the four Jews hidden there, three survived the war. Of the two underground workers, one also survived.

Casper, Corrie, and Betsie were all named to The Righteous Among the Nations.

But the thing that stayed with me through the years between my two readings of The Hiding Place, was how simple and ordinary their lives were, until they weren’t. And Casper was eighty-two when that day came.

Shining Art of Tiffany Studios and The Tiffany Girls

by Lynn U. Watson

Among the notable collections in the city of Chicago, art from Louis Comfort Tiffany's glass studios is prominent. You need to know where to look. 

In 1674 Father Jacques Marquette established the first European settlement in the area. This French Jesuit priest interacted with the Native Americans in the area. What would become the city of Chicago was born. 

A landmark building in Chicago's loop, The Marquette Building, is a beautiful tribute to Marquette's story. Growing up in the Chicago area, I was not aware of this treasure. I've learned from my research that many people walk past this jewel on Dearborn Street every day and have no idea what's inside. 

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit. The murals you see below are Tiffany Glass mosaics depicting the story. They are also very difficult to photograph. I've included one close up as well as an attempt to give an idea of the mural surrounding the balcony inside the building. The mural is made up of 200,000 pieces of colored glass and installed in 1895.

Tiffany Glass murals in lobby of Marquette Building, Chicago

personal photos 

Prior to the Tiffany Company works, stained glass was often painted glass. The Louis C. Tiffany Company was established in 1878 in New York City. Through his work, the glass making process evolved, creating intricate color and color blends to make the shiny glimmering pieces allowing light to come through and dazzle the beholder. 

The Marquette murals are among the many examples of the Tiffany art found throughout Chicago. Louis Comfort Tiffany's exhibit at the Columbian Exhibit (Chicago World's Fair) in 1893 earned him 54 medals.

Early in the company's history, Louis recognized the talent that women could bring to this medium. Gentleness, attention to fine detail, finesse handling the glass pieces, their eye for beauty and color. At the time most studios gave full credit to the lead male artist. While women's giftedness in the arts contributed much to his work, it would be years before The Tifffany Girls would be recognized.

Agnes Northrup, Clara Driscoll, and a group of approximately 30 other women were often the artists behind the beautiful works. The women had not been involved in the Marquette murals, but played a huge role in many other pieces. One of those is the 6,000 square foot, 1.6 million-piece dome ceiling of Marshall Fields (now Macy's) in Chicago. 

Tiffany Glass dome ceiling in Marshall Fields, Chicago

personal photo

Observing this gorgeous dome in the Chicago Cultural Center touched me deeply. The building was originally the Chicago Public Library. The dome was installed in 1897. This is the library my mom would have frequented growing up. I stood their mesmerized, imagining her and her friends studying and discovering new books to read while surrounded by all this beauty. 

 The dome was designed by Clara Driscoll, and executed by her team, The Women's Glass Cutting Department. The women became known as The Tiffany Girls. The dome is 38 feet wide. It's 243 sections are comprised of 30,000 pieces of Tiffany Farvile glass.

Tiffany Dome in Chicago Cultural Center, originally the Chicago Public Library

personal photo

The Tiffany Girls' work is prominently featured in the windows of Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago. These photos were taken in 2022. The windows were completely restored this year. Impossible to see in the photos, layering of the glass created depth of color and a feel of movement as light filtered through. The techniques were Louis', but without the work of the Women of the Cutting Room, the results would not be nearly as rich.

 

Agnes began working for Louis Tiffany in the early 1880s, and was the first women's supervisor of The Women's Glass Cutting Department. Clara Driscoll joined the company in 1886. Because the rules were very strict, engaged or married women were not allowed to work at the Tiffany studios. Clara stepped down for three years because of her marriage, but she returned after the tragic death of her husband. She became the supervisor of the department, which employed 30 to 50 women at a time. As supervisor she was paid $10,000 per year, making her one of the highest paid women in New York City at the time.

Tiffany lamps are highly sought after art. Louis Tiffany took credit for the designs. When the dragonfly lamp was introduced at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle and received a bronze medal, it was revealedClara had designed the now famous Dragonfly Tiffany Lamp. She directed her very talented group of ladies in creating the piece.

Tiffany lamps originally sold for $400 to $15,000. They now go at auction for up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most of them were designed by Clara Driscoll. 

Dragonfly Lamp designed and created by Clara Driscoll

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lámpara_Tiffany

Clara Driscoll

https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallmadge,_Ohio

NOTE: Tiffany Glass is found around the world. Since Chicago is the setting for my upcoming book and for a part of the previous book in the Promised Destiny series, I've focused on the Tiffany art in Chicago. There's much more even there, that I have not included. Second Presbyterian Church and the Tiffany lamps are mentioned in the books.

Award-winning author, Lynn U. Watson's journey is a testament to creativity and compassion. Nurtured by her grandmother's love of needlework, Lynn built a custom clothing business and created The Lynn'n Butterfly Collection (x-stitch design leaflets) with her husband Steve. Her creative spirit extended beyond fabric. Lynn became a certified reflexologist, opening Footsteps in Eden, a haven where she uses touch therapy and prayer to relax her clients. Today Lynn, Steve, and their feline overlord, Jasmine, call Bartlett, Tennessee home. You will find Lynn there, Stepping through time, Stitching stories of faith.

A rejected ballet dancer stumbles upon a key leading 

to a mystery quest six generations in the making.

Release Date: February 8, 2027

Pre-Order on Amazon.

Women of Resistance: Willemiena Brouwman

 

Just twenty years old when her beloved Netherlands was invaded and occupied by Nazi German, Willemiena Bouwman was social worker. Her father was Reverend J.J. Bouwman who’d been forced into hiding because he forbid a member of the National Socialist Movement of the Netherlands (a Dutch fascist, then later Nazi organization) from taking part in religious services.

It is believed she joined the Dutch resistance shortly thereafter. Her boyfriend, Willem Peter “Wim” Speelman, was an economics student and one of the publishers of the underground newspaper, Trouw (“True” or “Allegiance”). He also wrote content for various resistance pamphlets and the Dutch magazine, Vrij Nederland (“Free the Netherlands).

By the spring of 1941, Wim was in hiding, and the following year Willemiena joined him because of

increased scrutiny by Dutch and German authorities. Taking on the alias Mien van Trouw, she emerged periodically to distribute the newspaper as well as courier messages to resistance supporters. According to several sources, including Yad Vashem, Willemiena was deeply involved in the rescue of Jewish children, preventing them from being persecuted or deported.

When families would be rounded up and taken to Hollandsche Schouwburg, a Jewish theater converted to a holding area, the children would be sent across the street to “the Crèche,” formerly a Jewish daycare center, then Mien and others would spirit the children away to safe houses in Friesland and Groningen. She made dozens of trips. By the end of 1943, the number of rescues required had declined, so she went back to working at the newspaper and couriering messages. Wim, her fiancé by then, had been arrested but managed to escape and moved their activities (not specified in my sources) to Amsterdam.

They remained in the city for a year working heavily with the underground, then Wim was arrested again, this time during a raid to the printing office. He was executed two weeks later. Not to be deterred, Willemiena/Mien took over his position and continued to operate the publication. Ten weeks later, she was able to publish the liberation edition on May 5, 1945.

After the war, she returned to social work and married fellow Trouw courier, Gerrit Dijkstra. Widowed at some piont, she later married a second time, to Henk Vooren, and in 1992, she was declared “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem for her rescue of David de La Penha and Barend Stempel. Willemiena passed away on March 3, 2007 at the age of 87.

____________________

Danish Days

Can hearts filled with hate find love?

Near the end of the “second war to end all wars,” Norwegian American OSS agent Frida Westgard finds herself assigned to Denmark, of all places. Initially sent as a radio operator, she is then transferred to Copenhagen to collect intelligence. A job made more dangerous when she becomes entangled in local resistance activities led by the handsome man known only as Rejsende–traveler.

Stig Arenfeldt has hated the Germans for as long as he can remember, so when they invade and occupy his beloved Denmark, he jumps at the chance to join the resistance. Now, five years later, the war may finally be at an end, but he won’t quit until the last soldier is gone…or dead. Then he’s paired with the attractive American agent who preaches forgiveness. A concept that has no place in his life. Unfortunately, the more they’re together, the more her words infiltrate his soul, and he begins to dread the day she’ll walk out of his life.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LoGlw

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and

women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state, immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors, and drinks copious amounts of tea.

Sources:
https://www.geni.com/people/Willemiena-Bouwman/6000000017511751165
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willemiena_Bouwman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9DWNOhHK_g&t=548s
https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/righteous/4039270
https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/nieuws/archief-van-stichting-1940-1945-opvraagbaar-bij-het-nationaal-archief
https://www.st4045.nl/buitengewoon-pensioen
https://oorlogsspullen.nl/product/original-wwii-dutch-resistance-newspaper-groningen-trouw/

Photo Credits:
Willemiena Bouwman: Courtesy Emanuel Koning (geni.com)
Amsterdam 1944: By Adrianus Swart - from the collection curated by Netwerk Oorlogsbronnen and donated through a partnership program. Public Domain
Trouw newspaper: Courtesy Oorlogsspullen.nl

The Cornish Pasty - Fun Facts and Delicious History

By Mary Dodge Allen

Why does a Cornish pasty have a distinctive D-shape and a crimped crust? 

The earliest mention of the pasty in Cornwall and Devon dates back to the early 1500s. This meal of meat, vegetables and/or cheese wrapped inside a thick pastry crust is considered the national meal of Cornwall.

Cornish Pasties (Cornish Pasty Association)

The Cornish Pasty - A Proud Part of Cornwall's Heritage

More than 300 years ago, Cornish tin and copper miners began eating a pasty as their mid-day meal because it could be eaten without utensils, and the thick pastry crust could keep its contents warm. Traditionally, pasties were eaten from end to end. Miners often carved their initials in the far end, to identify their particular pasty.

The Cornish word for pasty is “hoggan,” which evolved into popular slang as "oggy." Tradition states that women who had baked pasties for the miners would shout into the mine shaft: “Oggy, oggy, oggy!” and the miners would shout back: “Oi, oi, oi” when they were ready to eat. 

(You may recognize this chant as part of an Outback restaurant commercial).

Arsenic was often found in tin and copper mines, and arsenic dust was a known hazard. It has been said that the pasty’s thick crimped edge provided a convenient hand-hold that was discarded after eating the meal, to avoid arsenic poisoning from dusty hands. This rings true in the opinion of some historians. But other historians argue that the pasties were most likely wrapped in paper or muslin cloth bags to protect the miners from arsenic dust.

Few photos were taken inside the Cornish tin mines, and in the rare photo below, it appears that two of the seated miners in the foreground are holding pasties wrapped in something.

Undated photo of Cornish tin miners, (Cornish Pasty Association)

Pasties provided a convenient mid-day meal for all types of workers. Farmers, field workers and factory workers could leave in the morning, carrying a pasty in a jacket pocket.

Cornish Pasty Ingredients

Family recipes often varied, according to the food at hand. The crust was traditionally made of white flour, or barley flour (which was cheaper). It had to be thick enough to hold its delicious baked filling, and yet not too tough to eat.

The traditional pasty filling consisted of a small portion of meat such as beef or pork or even cheese, mutton or rabbit, along with a much larger portion of vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions or turnips, seasoned with salt and pepper. 

The raw meat and vegetables were placed inside the crust and sealed with a prominent crimp. Then the pasty was baked long enough for its filling to become fully-cooked, tender and juicy, while the crust browned.

Vintage post card of a partially-eaten Cornish pasty (Wikipedia)

The Cornish Pasty Spreads Across the World

With the fluctuating economy of tin and copper, many Cornish miners – known for their mining expertise - emigrated to work in mines around the world. My great, great grandfather Nicholas emigrated from Cornwall with his young family in 1850 to work in a copper mine in Ontario, Canada. Years later, he moved his family to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to work in the copper mines there.

Many Cornish miners emigrated to work in mines located in Pennsylvania, California and Nevada. While other Cornish miners relocated as far away as Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. 

Wherever Cornish miners and their families moved, they brought with them the traditional recipe for Cornish pasties. A Cornish festival is held annually in parts of Australia, and an annual Cornish Festival is also held in Real del Monte, Mexico. The Mexican pasty is called a "paste."

A Mexican "paste" (Wikipedia)

The Traditional Cornish Pasty 

I tasted my first Cornish pasty when I was a child, visiting relatives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Unfortunately, the ancestral Cornish pasty recipe, handed down to my great-aunt in Michigan has been lost.

But I located a traditional Cornish pasty recipe online, at the website of The Salt Wind Catering Kitchen, located in Redruth, Cornwall (near the area my ancestors lived).

Click this link to see the recipe: Traditional Cornish Pasty Recipe

Traditional Cornish Pasty (The Salt Wind Catering Kitchen)

I plan to bake this traditional Cornish pasty for my family this holiday season.
If you enjoy baking, you might want to give it a try. Enjoy!

__________________

Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides

Mary's story, entitled: A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need. 

Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:   Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Book

How Adolf Hitler's War Machine Devastated Hundreds of Thousands of French Lives

By Donna Wichelman

Over the last several months, I've reprised a series I began in the spring of 2024, when I interviewed four survivors of World War II the previous October. In this article, I mention Madame Marie-José Delage, whose story you can read in the August 4, 2026 blog.

Madame Pierrette Couillandeau and Madame Marie-José Delage were still young children and friends in Libourne when France capitulated to Adolf Hitler’s German Army in June 1940. Like most French families, they were uneasy about the armistice France had signed in November 1919, ending the First World War. But while Madame Delage’s father had been wounded during World War I and experienced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Mme Couillandeau’s father had a different experience.

Madame Couillandeau and Madame Marie-José Delage Pointing at a Bullet Hole still left in the Building Where Madame Delage Lived: Donna's Gallery October 2023

Believing another war was inevitable, France built the Maginot Line during the 1930s to counteract an attack by the Germans should hostilities arise. The Maginot Line was a series of concrete fortifications and weapons installations that ran from Belfort in the south, guarding the Belfort Gap where France, Germany, and Switzerland meet, to the Longuyon in the Moselle Valley. It stopped short of the Belgian border near the dense Ardennes forest, because Belgium adopted the policy of strict neutrality, which prevented France from building fortifications. A separate extension, the Alpine Line, ran along France's southeastern border with Italy.

But the German Army launched a surprise attack north of Saarbrücken in rugged forested terrain where no one expected, allowing them to break through French defenses, storming the country west and southward.

German Army Shows Japanese Officials Maginot Line
Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

Madame Couillandeau’s father was one of the French troops stationed in a village along the Maginot Line. He shouldn’t have been there. He was too old at age thirty-six and had two children to feed. He was also a baker, protected from military service by a law enacted during the French Revolution that said authorities could “commandeer bakeries and … keep the masses in bread.” But Mme Couillandeau’s father had not declared his status and ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The men in Madame Couillandeau’s father’s unit took turns watching for German soldiers from the top of a church. One day, her father and one of his buddies were on the lookout but unaware their unit had pulled out. They were left behind to be caught by the Germans and made prisoners of war. 

Meanwhile, the head of the collaboratorist Vichy Government, Prime Minister Pierre Laval, developed a volunteer program called La Relève, The Relief, in June 1942 to help secure the release of French prisoners of war. Negotiating with Germany's General Plenipotentiary for Labor, Fritz Sauckel, they agreed to release one French prisoner of war for every three volunteer workers from France who would be willing to work in Germany on their war machine. 

The propaganda campaign reached out to workers in skilled trades, particularly in metalworking, engineering, and construction, and offered high wages and opportunities for professional training. 

But La Relève was not successful. The program couldn't provide enough volunteer workers. Estimates suggest that 80,000 to 90,000 prisoners of war out of more than a million still left in captivity were returned in exchange for 24,000 French workers. Madame Couillandeau’s father was fortunate to be one of them and returned to his family in 1943.

La Relève morphed into the compulsory work service (Service du travail obligatoire or STO) under Sauckel, requiring the forced enlistment and deportation of French men to Germany for the German war effort. As many as 650,000 men were sent to work camps from June 1942 to July 1944 to compensate for the loss of German manpower as more and more soldiers were needed at the Eastern Front.

In Paris, French men and women being chosen for work in GermanyDeparture of STO workers from the Paris-Nord station in 1943 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J14405%2C_Paris%2C_Abreise_franz%C3%B6sischer_Kriegsarbeiter_nach_Deutschland.jpg

In Paris, French men and women being chosen for work in GermanyDeparture of STO workers from the Paris-Nord station in 1943
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J14405%2C_Paris%2C_Abreise_franz%C3%B6sischer_Kriegsarbeiter_nach_Deutschland.jpg

But even STO never achieved the numbers Sauckel wanted. The French began to evade the compulsory demands by joining the French Resistance--the Maquis. Historians estimate at least 200,000 French were actively involved in the Resistance. Broader estimates put numbers at 500,000.

Members of French Resistance March in Liberation Celebration in Libourne, France Libourne City Archives

Members of French Resistance March in Liberation Celebration in Libourne, France
Libourne City Archives

Though Madame Couillandeau’s father came home because of the prisoner exchange program, war still left its indelible effect on him. He could have avoided it if he had declared himself a baker from the start. Unfortunately, he did not. So when he returned and wanted his old occupation back and to play cards with friends in a bar on the square, he discovered they'd made a lot of money in the market while he had been a prisoner of war. It was a bitter pill to swallow, so he sold his shop and went to Bordeaux.

Boulangerie Spécialité Pan Gascon, Since the Reign of Louis XV in 1765 Donna’s Gallery, October 2023

Boulangerie Spécialité Pan Gascon, Since the Reign of Louis XV in 1765
Donna’s Gallery, October 2023

As I contemplated this real-life story, I was struck by the irony of how the war affected Madame Couillandeau's family as much as Madame Delage's. In different ways, both fathers had become casualties of war--Madame Delage's father developing PTSD during the First World War and escaping to Canada, and Madame Couillandeau's father to Adolf Hitler's war machine. In both cases, their families' lives would never be the same. It's something for all of us to ponder as we consider whose fathers and families will be destroyed by the nations still warring in our contemporary world.

Donna is an Angel Book Award-winning author of historical romance for A Song of Deliverance. Book 2, Rhythms of the Heart, is an interconnected stand-alone set in the same Victorian mining community of Georgetown, Colorado.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before becoming a full-time writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. Her romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor in her Waldensian Series, are available on Amazon. 

Donna and her husband of forty-two years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and often bike, kayak, and travel.