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Below is the letter we found the day we closed on the house. We
already new the house had a lot of spirit...then this letter. We were
crying so much, it took 5 family members to read it. We called information
and got Simone's phone number and called her that night! It has been
exciting ever since.
May 7, 1994
Dear Mr. Snipe: |
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Although
we haven’t met, I think we may have something in common — the love of an
old house. I believe you met my elder sister, Marguerite Bassett Harrison,
about a year ago when she was being shown through your house. The third of
the girls in my family, I came to Indiana as a bride in 1950. My husband,
Dr. J. Albert Robbins, was a professor of English and American Literature
at Indiana University until his death in 1992. There were five of us
Bassett girls, all old ladies now, of course. One, my sister Beulah, died
in 1976, and until recently, that date - when I attended her funeral - was
my last visit to Fort Valley.
However, in late April I returned for my 51st High School Reunion, and
was in Fort Valley for six days. It was a rather momentous occasion for
me, since not only was it the first reunion I had attended, but it was
also the first time I had seen my husband’s grave, having sent his body
down two years ago for burial in the Bassett family plot. I found many
changes in the town and the surrounding countryside, with new roads and
buildings, etc. My friend, Sara Middlebrooks, arranged with your manager,
Roy Henson, for me to have a tour of the interior of the house which we
used to call Pineola and which I understand you now call Barnby Manors. I
was very grateful to Roy and Sara for this opportunity.
By now, you must be wondering why this garrulous old lady is writing to
you and what is the purpose of this letter. Let me say first of all that I
am sorry you were not in residence at the time of my visit, for I would
surely have sought you out for a good long talk about Pineola’s past. I
think there may be something there of interest to you as a Britisher.
Before I explain, may I express my appreciation of the care you have given
to the house. I know you have spent quite a bit on it, I liked your
changes although I had no way of knowing which were yours and which were
those of earlier residents since my sister sold the house. I do believe
that you have saved the house from falling into disrepair and decay,
especially by installing central air and heat. My mother would be pleased.
And it is because of my mother that I am writing to you. Nothing would
please her more than to know that an Englishman now owns the house. You
see, she came to Georgia from Paris, France, in 1919, having married a
Georgia man, Captain Ralph Bassett. She had gone to boarding school in
England as a young girl and then returned to teach French in an English
school. Having been brought up very strictly in Paris, Henriette Bourdier
felt that England represented freedom and fun, and she often spoke of
playing tennis, punting on the Thames, and how happy she was in Leicester.
When World War II arrived, even before the
United States entered the war, there were
young Britishers in America, particularly in the South, Royal Air Force
cadets, being trained mostly as fighter pilots. What is now the Macon Airport was then called Cochran
Field, which was a basic training school. My mother was beside herself to
know they were there, and immediately began organizing dances at the
American Legion, and arranging for many families in Fort Valley to open
their homes to the young men from across the seas. She called on church
groups to take them home for Sunday dinner after church and many families
“adopted” boys from each of the successive training classes.
As for Pineola, it was open house for the RAF for the remainder of the
war. I really cannot tell you how many young men we entertained, but it
was a period I will never forget. The house was well set up for hosting
the cadets, as we could put them in the two-room wing added by my father
in 1930. Here they had their own bath and complete privacy from the rest
of the house. I believe this is the part of the house you presently use as
your living—quarters.
I remember once when we had eight men, who came from three different
bases, having all received graduation leave at the same time. I have a
photo taken on the lawn at Pineola of my mother, two younger sisters and
the eight. They were mostly there for a week, and what a time we had. My
father left for a fishing trip in Florida, telling Guy Halifax, one of the
older of the group, that he expected a full written report of what
happened while he was gone, to be placed in his cigar box. When he checked
the cigar box on his return, the cigars were gone, and Guy had left a note
saying that too much had happened, he couldn’t possibly write it up. Of
the eight, at least four died in the war. I am in correspondence with
three of the survivors: Norman Bate, Ken Lewis, and Desmond Macey.
Over the years, we gradually lost touch with the “Bassett Boys” but in
1985 I was contacted by Dr. Gilbert Guinn, a History professor in
Greenwood, SC, who was trying to write a voluminous history of the
training of the RAF in the States, and in particular of those who were
under the Arnold Scheme of training (named for the American general,
“Hap” Arnold.) He asked for any and all information I might be able to
supply him on the boys we had entertained, saying that the name of the
Bassett family kept coming up again and again. Also that Norman Bate was
asking for our addresses. Thereafter Norman and I began a
correspondence which has endured to this day. Norman also began
publication of the Arnold Register, which was an attempt, largely
successful, to re—establish contact among those who had trained in the
States. This Spring Norman was decorated by the queen for his efforts,
as was another Bassett boy, Johnny Johnson (for his activities in working
with underprivileged boys). Norman says that he made a solemn promise to
Mama Bassett that he would try to keep the boys in touch with each other,
and thinks he has fulfilled that promise.
A group of these RAF veterans has already come on tour to the States.
They were given the keys to the city of Macon,
Ga. and
feted for several days in Albany, GA, home of one of the advanced bases.
Unfortunately when they came to Fort Valley, they were unannounced
and couldn’t even find the route to Pineola Farm. I am telling you this
because Norman tells me that a small group is coming over again in
September of this year. They are definitely going to be in Macon again,
and I assume that at least certain ones would be very interested in seeing
Fort Valley again, as well as the old
house where they spent so many days. I have
permission from Sara Middlebrooks to give Norman her name, address and
tel. no., and would like your permission to do the
same for you. Norman called me from Leicester the moment he got my letter telling him I was finally going back to
Fort Valley
again. Will you by any chance be in residence in Fort Valley in September? I still
must write him to give an account of my trip.
I find it a very daunting project to try to explain in a letter about
those war years, Henriette Bassett, the unabashed
Anglophile, and how beloved your house is to your countrymen. Norman
simply gasped when I told him the place was now owned by an Englishman.
Somewhere I have copies of the photo of the eight on the lawn that day,
but so far have not been able to put my hands on them. If I find them,
will send you one.
So thank you, Sir, for taking such good care of our former home. If I can
give you any more information, please let me know. The
spirits of those eager young men must still sometimes find their way
about the place. Not that they would haunt it, for they were
happy times, as happy as possible in war time. So think of them as good
spirits, wishing you well in your endeavors.
Sincerely yours,
Simone Bassett
F. Norman Bate
51 Henley Rd.
Leicester LE3 9RD England tel. 0533-519454
Desmond Macey
7 Whistlefield Cottages
Overstone Park
Northampton, Gt. Britain NN6-OAP tel. 0604-49-4645
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