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| Fire destroys British-owned house in the Lot |
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| Wednesday, 21 November 2007 | |
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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.  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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