#gilliard

Alla citazione di stasera sono arrivato per pura serendipità; non viaggiavo tra le pieghe degli anni con la mia macchina del tempo preferita, il Gran Bazar degli innumerabili documenti che costituiscono il deposito di Archive.org, ma ero sulle pagine che il Senato dedica al quotidiano del Partito Socialista Italiano, di cui ha messo in linea i numeri tra il 1893 e il 1995, QUI.

«La scuola è in sostanza un laboratorio di sterilizzazione: le si affidano dei ragazzi normali ed essa si sforza di farne degli uomini ritardati». Con questa citazione dal contenuto radicale, tratta da L'école contre la vie di Edmond Gilliard, Graziano Cavallini apre il suo discorso critico sull'istituto scolastico (La fabbrica del deficiente, Emme Edizioni). È un giudizio duro, può disturbare molte coscienze ma in realtà è l'unica valutazione possibile nei riguardi di una scuola che dovrebbe essere strumento di diffusione della cultura ed è invece veicolo di ignoranza e impositrice di superstizioni.

... si legge in un inizio di recensione, a pagina tre. Sparare sulla scuola o su altre istituzioni pubbliche è un esercizio che tutti e in qualunque nazione possono fare e, come si vede, parte da lontano: la citazione che Cavallini fa nel 1974, la prende da un libro, in francese, pubblicato nel 1942. La mia esperienza personale, per quel che vale, mi dice che sia tra i miei professori che poi, anni dopo, tra i miei colleghi insegnanti c'era "una lunga fila di disertori della vanga", per usare una frase di Marco Malvaldi. D'altra parte, però, mi trovavo nella rurale Maremma grossetana...

Hi there! Of course! Lots of funny ones here, and some touching ones too.

Alexei spent a lot of time with the foreign ambassadors, playing with them outside and sitting on on their lunches. He seemed to be a great favourite with them, and definitely made HQ life a lot more fun. These ambassadors were from France, England, Japan, and further afield.

There are also these fun and cute videos of Alexei at Stavka with Joy, playing with her. See them here. There are lots of videos of Alexei at Stavka, quite a few of him looking at the camera, pointing to it, and smiling, as well as playing and spinning around.

He wrote in letters to his mother often about Joy and the cats that were at HQ, and playing in the woods.

'Stavka, 9th December 1916

My dear Mama.

Yesterday we again went into the forest and played at the robbers, it was very jolly. As usual I had the pony. The snow is now very deep and the trees are quite covered too, so that we often get a shower of snow as we go under them.

With much love from

Alexey'

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John Hanbury-Williams, who was head of the British unit at Stavka, had as good relationship with Alexei and wrote about him fondly in his memoirs and diaries, that can be read here. Sadly, Hanbury-Williams' son died in combat, and he wrote about how Alexei came and found him in his room and sat with him so he wouldn't feel lonely after receiving the news.

'20th December 1916. I heard the news of death of my eldest son, which was not unexpected. I was in the ante-room next the Emperor's before dinner, when, being alone, the little Tsarevitch came out of his father's room, ran up to me and sat next me, saying : ' Papa told me to come to sit with you as he thought you would feel lonely to-night.'

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Alexei also got up to a *lot* of mischief!

From John Hanbury-Williams:

14th November 1915. ...As I was talking the little Tsarevitch, who is full of fun and mischief, came and grabbed my coat-tails, somewhat upsetting the dignity of the business with his father, to whom he is devoted...'

'20th May 1916. The Emperor leaves for Odessa to see two newly formed divisions, and we have asked him to bring back the little Tsarevitch, who is a great favourite with us all, and a most happy-natured, attractive little fellow'

10th July 1916. The Tsarevich is here and in great spirits. He dragged some of us off after lunch in the tent to a round fountain in the garden which has porpoise heads all round it, with two holes in each to represent the eyes. The game was to plug up these holes with one's fingers, then turn on the fountain full split and suddenly let go. The result was that I nearly drowned the Emperor and his son, and they returned the compliment, and we all had to go back and change, laughing till we nearly cried, a childish amusement no doubt, but which did one good all the same.

'29th November 1916. After lunch to-day had a regular football scrimmage with the little Tsarevitch, who was in wild spirits'

A letter from Nicholas to Alexandra: "[I] have come in from the garden with wet sleeves and boots as Alexei sprayed us at the fountain. It is his favorite game […] peals of laughter ring out. I keep an eye, in order to see that things do not go too far."

For more letters between Nicholas and Alexandra, you can check out this book - it's fab!

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Pierre Gilliard, the children's French tutor, wrote about how he and Alexei would go off on car rides throughout the countryside during the day, although on one occasion the car was surrounded by peasants excited to see the heir. You can read more from Gilliard here.

There is also a fun anecdote from Sydney Gibbes, the children's English tutor, about Alexei grabbing a pair of scissors and hiding behind a curtain before cutting off a chunk of his hair, but I think this was before teaching at Stavka.

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And here are some fun photos of him at Stavka, for good measure :)

Albums showing Alexei and his sisters having fun at Stavka can be seen here:

Tatiana's 1916 album - just a warning some of the earlier pages has photos of operations and injuries at the hospital

Anastasia's 1915 - 1916 album

Nicholas's 1913-1916 album - these have the best photos

The Aegis Recruits (from The Myriad: Aegis Recruits) stimboard