You are now in front of the Mere Germaine restaurant. My grandparents, Germaine and Louis Brau, opened their restaurant in 1938. My mother Josiane was born a year later when Europe went to War. As I told you, the restaurants on the Quai were closed during the occupation. My grandfather left for the Front while my mother was still a baby.
From 1945, life returned to Villefranche and sailors quickly resumed their habits in the Town's bars and restaurants.
My grandmother was very much appreciated by American sailors and officers for her great generosity, to the point that they officially named her Mom of the Sixth Fleet! Her daughter Claire also married one of them, Thomas Kelley, in 1949 and they went on to have five children who all live in the States.
Thanks to her determination, my grandmother helped save an American sailor who had a serious infection. Just in time, she was able to supply the right antibiotic which the USS Salem did not have. This story is told in the film Mama Germaine an episode of the Navy Log by the producer Sam Gallu, broadcast in the 1950s on American television by CBS. Actress Françoise Rosay plays the role of Mom Germaine in it. On 2 January 1959, my grandmother was invited with her family aboard the USS Des Moines. Her great friend, Captain Moncure, then Commanding Officer of the Flagship, had organized an evening in her honor, during which the film was shown on a big screen.
This friendship which linked the "boys" to Mom Germaine is still very much in evidence today. Many veterans and their families continue to come to visit La Mère Germaine which has become a legend. After her death in July 1959, my grandfather, Louis Brau, ran the establishment for a few years. Then my mother Josiane, their younger daughter, and my father Remy Blouin ran the business with panache for 50 years. Nowadays the restaurant belongs to the third generation, my brother Thierry Blouin and myself.
Two books have been written about her story: La mere Germaine by Charles Minetti in 1988 and The Fabulous Story of La mere Germaine in 2008 by Raoul Mille.
On the 60th anniversary of Mom Germaine's passing in 2019, our association organized an exhibition at the Citadel and the Hotel Welcome. All my family contributed by putting their precious archives at our disposal. We had many documents and photos on display: an article from the Reader’s Digest of July 1959, letters from Jean Cocteau, one from Admiral Arleigh Burke and many others. Visitors could find out about the story of this woman with an extraordinary destiny.
To the right of the entrance door on a pillar of the façade, you will see an engraved brass plaque. Gifted by the U.S. Navy, you can read the gratitude of the officers and sailors of the Sixth Fleet, thanking Mom Germaine for her kindness.
The film Mama Germaine is online on our website. You can also find many documents and photos there from the period. All the information is at the end of the audio-guide.
I now invite you to head towards the Hotel Welcome by walking along in front of the restaurants. Stop at the bottom of the Rue de l'Eglise, to the right of the hotel to listen to the following sequence.
