I was a War Child (Paperback)

When Hitler trained his lethal eye on the occupation of France, the Gaillet family was forced from their resplendent home near the Belgian border by a bullet through their front door and a German soldier’s scream to evacuate within twenty-four hours. Thus begins the harrowing odyssey of four-year-old Hélène and her five siblings, who in 1940 abandoned everything they knew, and remained on the brink of disaster for four brutal years.

I was a War Child: World War II Memoir of a little French Catholic girl is the rare and raw account of one family’s exodus from the front line of the Nazi invasion of France. Written by Hélène Gaillet de Neergaard, this riveting memoir reveals how the family faced unfathomable hardship, hunger, and torment, as well as terrifying intervals where the six children forged ahead without their parents.

Through this vivid recollection of dodging roadblocks, bullets, and bombardments, this singular account of survival is certain to enthrall anyone interested in World War II or stories of overcoming adversity. Accompanied by family photographs from this epic era, Gaillet’s remarkable tale offers resounding proof of what it is possible to endure in the name of freedom.

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Hélène Gaillet de Neergaard is an author, artist, and photographer who divides her time between New York City and Naples, Florida. Born in the north of France, she emigrated to Larchmont, New York, in June of 1946.

After graduating from high school with top honors, her college years were cut short by an early marriage to a Hungarian-Italian aristocrat and the birth of two daughters by the time she was 21.

After a career in sales promotion, marketing, and public relations, she became a professional photographer in 1970. She had solo shows in New York and Paris, including a 1975 exhibition featuring a now-famous nude self-portrait, which is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Her work has been published in numerous publications, including TIME, New York, OUI, Playboy, Popular Photography, and others. She was also a stringer for The New York Timesand with Gamma-Liaison Agency now Getty Images.

In addition, she is the author of The BOAT BOOK: A Guide and Reference Book for ALL Boaters and Nautical Terms & Abbreviations, both available on Amazon.com.