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Fire destroys British-owned house in the Lot Print E-mail
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Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Gignac, France, early evening November 1357. Two guards stand atop their tower watching westward for the ever encroaching English invaders. The rest of the Gignacois below are already gathered around their hearths, shutters drawn closed against the cold, and the enemy.
Six hundred and fifty years later and the Gignacois are again gathered in the square gazing up as the very same tower, under English control for almost five years, is set ablaze. But things have changed, and there is no joy, no freedom, no victory. On this night we all lose.
French and English stood arm in arm, sharing tears, as fire ripped though the two houses and tower in Gignac village centre on the evening of Monday November 12. A wiring failure in the house of Yann Ourcival was probably the cause, but the result was misfortune on a huge scale for both Tom Hanauer and his neighbour whose house was the first to descend.
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The firemen came and the flames were subdued, the insurance men came and the homes will be rebuilt, and while some part of history will be forever lost, let’s hope we will see a new history developing. Not one of war nor one of ‘tolerance’ but one of genuine appreciation, and of symbiosis. The people of Gignac wear their hearts on their sleeves for their new-found friend Tom the Englishman who came to live and not to conquer. And the Englishman in New Gignac could not think of a better place to have such a bad day.
You see, progress isn’t all bad!
PS Nothing is left of the two ancient houses. Yann is now staying at his parents' house in the same village but all Tom's relatives live in England. Friends have rallied round, offering clothes, food and lodging.

by Tom Hanauer and Clémence Schilling
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French News is happy to act as a go-between if anyone in the area of Gignac can help Tom out in one form or another. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , labelling your email "Gignac".
 
 
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