5.3.1 “Villard had become a half-dead town.”
—Bronisław Bozowski, chaplain. Our school, 2017, based on Kapłanem na wiecki, 2015.
When, at the end of September 1940, Wacław Godlewski paid a brief visit to Villard-de-Lans to find out whether this health and sports resort could accommodate teachers, students and staff, most of whom were refugees, retreating soldiers or escaped prisoners of war, Villard had become a half-dead town. Men had been captured, farms abandoned, hotels and guesthouses deserted, seasonal staff gone, and cafés and shops were almost empty. The inhabitants, most of them elderly, were depressed by the scale of the unexpected cataclysm that had just occurred, by the misery to which they were not accustomed, and by the separation from fathers, brothers or sons imprisoned in German camps.
And then two hundred high-spirited young Poles arrived, in good health, full of energy and imagination, accompanied by a group of distinguished yet lively middle-aged men and women, to create an improbable Polish school. None of these foreigners doubted for a moment that Hitler would be defeated and that Poland would be reborn from the school. They expressed this certainty forcefully, through their words and actions.
The spirits of the depressed French inhabitants were gradually revived. Their courage grew at the sight of these young people who, day after day, walked, singing, in rows of four, to work on their farm in Les Geymonds, and who went to church every Sunday for what became known as the “Polish mass” …
It seems likely that life in Villard had never been as genuine, robust, healthy and joyful as in the relatively calm years from 1940 to 1942. Young Poles could be seen and heard everywhere: before noon in the cafés and dining rooms of the various boarding schools where the classes were held; in the afternoon in those same cafés, sipping a glass of wine or a shandy; on the sports fields playing with or against the French; strolling around in the foothills of the mountains, alone, in couples or in groups; in the evening, in the parish cinema, at friends ‘ houses or under the windows of the girls ‘ dormitories… Some studied just before exams, others studied all the time. Many prepared shows and concerts. Polish words and songs floated through Villard, transforming this peaceful village into a vibrant sanctuary brimming with youth. A youth that was at times a little crazy, organising swimming competitions in the fountain in the main square, swapping shop signs in the night or dazzling passers-by with mirrors from the school roof. The native Villardians endured these pranks with calmness and humour. The exploits and antics of these adoptive Villardians kept their spirits up, and they were proud that the high school played an increasing role in village life. Perhaps they were becoming a little Polish themselves.
