|
 Historical Bouillabaisse
On May 29th, 1940 the name of a French coastal town was entered
indelibly in military history. 340,000
men of the British Expeditionary force were evacuated from the beaches of
Dunkirk. The only victory in
that first year of war. Bermuda
was remotely connected when Ajax, Exeter and Achilles chased the German
battleship Graf Spee in Montevideo.
In these early days of war two other extraordinary things happened in
Bermuda. The largest
submarine in the world tied up at the flag pole on Front Street. Built in 1929, she was an underwater cruiser, 2880 tons
displacement, armed with two 8" guns, 10 torpedo tubes and a scouting
aircraft in a special hangar. She
was 361' long. She was sunk
in 1942, but not before she had become on the most intriguing mysteries of
Bermuda's war experience. She
was called SURCOUF and a few school children were taken on board for tours
of this amazing vessel.
One winter morning two French trawlers appeared in Hamilton's harbour.
They had fled occupied France.
Their holds were loaded with lobster, probably the first many
Bermudians had ever seen. For some months, they were tied up at the Stalls, and in due
course Mr. Chesley White supervised the dispersal of the lobsters in our
reefs at carefully selected sectors.
Eventually the trawlers left, probably bound for Martinique, but
one or two of their crew remained in Bermuda.
It's not exactly something you would expect to find in a grocery store,
but there's some very real romance in Miles, if you care to look for it.
One very famous French ship of war was wrecked in the Chub Heads on
December 3rd, 1838. She was a
double banked frigate of the line with 60 guns.
Her name is L'HERMINIE. She
was discovered by a French diving instructor called Jean Archie and an
English schoolmaster named Rob Weedon.
After a hurricane in the 1960's a gentleman from Miles came across a
bottle seal whilst diving on L"HERMINIE.
The seal read "Adolphe Puget, Huile d'Olive, Marseille."
Within the week a letter was written with no address save the words
of the seal. They were asked
if they were still in business, and if so, would they please send 50 cases
to Miles Market.
If there is a better olive oil sold in Bermuda, we don't know about it,
and that is how it is that Puget's Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been in
Miles Market for the past 25 years or so.
By the way, on one dive, fortunately Charlie Reed, a wonderful Frammingham
New Englander, was the companion of the Miles diver. Suddenly right before their eyes was a tiny lobster with
claws. We both saw it!
Well, wouldn't you expect to find a descendant of those first
lobsters to have felt at home on a French wreck?
Of course.
Harry C. D. Cox.
|