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Guy-Raoul Marie Jacques de Dampierre

1938–2023

Born
5 Jan 1938, Saint-Mandé
Country of birth
France
Died
8 May 2023, Nemours
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Saint-Mandé

    Birth, Saint-Mandé

  2. Child born: Ève de Dampierre-Noiray

    Birth, Clamart

  3. Died · Nemours

    Death, Nemours

What was it like?

The world around Saint-Mandé, 1938: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Guy-Raoul was born around the same time as Alain Delon, Elvis Presley, and John Lennon.

Born around the same time

  • Alain Delon

    1935 · French actor (1935–2024)

  • Elvis Presley

    1935 · American singer and actor (1935–1977)

  • John Lennon

    1940 · British musician (1940–1980)

  • Pelé

    1940 · Brazilian footballer (1940–2022)

  • Jackie Stewart

    1939 · Scottish racing driver

  • Tenzin Gyatso

    1935 · 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetans

Fashion
Around 1940–1944

One pair of shoes every four years

Under strict rationing during the 1940s, a woman was entitled to only one pair of flat shoes that had to last four years. To cope with this, many turned to resourceful alternatives like making shoes with wooden soles.

Around 1940–1944

Simulating stockings and essential headwear

When stockings became impossible to obtain, women dyed their legs with walnut oil or specialized kits and drew a thin black line on the back of the calf to simulate a seam. Some even wore handmade floral hair nets or turbans, as hats were essential for going out in public.

Music

Instruments for dancing in France

People danced to the accordion, bagpipes, and the vielle, a traditional string instrument played by turning a wheel. Between the wars, the accordion became the dominant instrument for popular dances across France.

Traditional and modern dances

Traditional dances like the bourrée and rigadoon were passed down through generations, while new international styles like the tango, fox trot, and Charleston became widespread favorites during the interwar period. At family gatherings, elders often performed traditional dances while young people watched.

Getting around

Limited bus service frequencies

In the 1930s, bus services in French provinces were often sparse, frequently offering only one or two daily journeys in each direction.

Railcar improvements cut travel times

Between 1928 and 1939, modernized railcars reduced the journey between St Brieuc and Paimpol from 2 hours 50 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes.

Daily life

Traditional food preservation methods

To keep food fresh in homes without modern appliances, families used "garde-manger," which were ventilated cupboards or fine-mesh cages suspended in cool rooms, cellars, or kitchens. Meat was sometimes preserved by covering it in oil or searing it in a pan.

School children's labor and chores

School children performed manual labor for the war effort, such as going to potato fields every Thursday to remove Colorado beetles from the plants. Students also helped clean the local school swimming pool by scrubbing the walls and floor barefoot with brushes.

Prices and wages
Around 1947–1947

Bread rationing in 1947

In 1947, the daily bread ration was reduced to 200 grams, a lower amount than during the German occupation.

Around 1948–1948

A metalworker's budget in 1948

In 1948, a Parisian metalworker supporting a wife and three children earned about 16,400 francs per fortnight, often becoming an involuntary vegetarian because meat was so expensive.

Work

The grueling life of baker apprentices

Apprentice bakers in the 1930s often lived and slept in the bakery, starting work as early as midnight or 2:00 A.M. and working up to 15 hours a day.

Around 1930–1930

Immigrant labor in French mines

By 1930, immigrants made up 42 percent of the labor force in the French mining industry.

News and letters
Around 1940–1943

Smuggling letters during occupation

During the occupation, sympathetic post office staff enabled about 100 letters a month to be smuggled from occupied France to London via the Vichy zone.

During their lifetime

  1. 1944

    Women gain voting rights in 1944

    In October 1944, a government ordinance finally granted women the right to vote in France.

  2. 1950

    Creation of the minimum wage

    In 1950, the government established the minimum wage (SMIG) to improve workers' purchasing power.

  3. 1956

    Third week of paid vacation

    In 1956, French workers were granted a third week of paid vacation, significantly increasing their leisure time.

  4. 1967

    Legalization of the contraceptive pill

    The 1967 Neuwirth Law legalized the contraceptive pill, allowing women greater control over family planning.

  5. 1975

    Legalization of abortion

    The 1975 Veil Law legalized abortion in France under specific circumstances, marking a major shift in women's rights.

  6. 1982

    Reduction of work week to 39 hours

    In 1982, the work week was reduced to 39 hours and employees received a fifth week of paid vacation.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.