Portrait: Brian. Moulding: NATO which passes on ... Fontainebleau Magazine.
No.18, March - April 2010.
At the age of 18 Brian Moulding joined the RAF for two years, he decided to enlist.
Beyond the patriotic contract, it was above all a taste for -,adventure and the
opportunity of widening his horizons that motivated the young LAC aspiring to
travel to far away destinations like Singapore, he was finally transferred to
Fontainebleau, headquarters of the Allied Forces - a chance event that changed
his life. A transfer so near to the capital was the dream for Brian Moulding, still a young man of 20. Paris, The Cote d' Azur ... post card
images in his head, he left his native England on the 14th. July 1953 without a word of French. In Paris he passed in
front of the Bastille to go to the Gare de Lyon. "I
was amazed by the spontaneous joy shown by the French" jokes Brian Moulding, not then knowing the date of Bastille Day. "A
first image of France engraved in my memory."
So he joined the Allied Headquarters
in Fontainebleau, taking the job of chauffeur, an ideal position, allowing him
to go regularly to the capital. "A quiet job, not
demanding high skills and without special responsibilities given the historical
context." Says Brian Moulding modestly. What
about the cold war? "Oh, I lived through it at a distance, without being
involved" he replies innocently, while revealing that while driving, without
meaning to, he had overheard intriguing conversations between high-ups. In
short, he passed three peaceful years in Fontainebleau in a warm atmosphere
where many nationalities mixed easily and where soldiers built very friendly relationships
with the population. A little nostalgically, Brian Moulding
recalls festive evenings with his American, Canadian, German, Belgian, Dutch
and French colleagues. "On could say we made our contribution to the wealth
of French bistros" he joked. In fact soldiers were welcomed with open arms
by French businesses for whom the military presence was
a veritable commercial blessing.
In 1956 Brian Moulding's
contract came to an end. He returned to England but knew he would return to
"a town that adopted me and that I adopted, a
language whose subtleties I learned and contacts I did not want to lose."
In 1957 he decided to leave his native country definitively and settled again
in Fontainebleau as a civilian. NATO was still based in Fontainebleau and the
Americans were still very much there. Brian Moulding
took advantage of this opportunity and began to sell spare parts for American
cars before working for the American Assurance Agency. In 1966 France withdrew
from NATO, the military bases were empty and the Americans left Fontainebleau. The
repercussions for the local economy were felt at once: consumption fell and
jobs were lost. ..
Brian Moulding
changed direction and worked for an American petrol company in the first
Service Station on the A6 Motorway, becoming its boss a few years later. A
Fontainebleau resident to his soul, he didn't forget to return regularly to
England to see his father. After his death, he no longer went back. "My father
was my only link with England. For a long time I felt more French than English."
Member of the NATO Veterans Association, Brian Moulding
participated regularly in patriotic events. In September 2009 he organised the visit of the NATO veterans in Fontainebleau
before accompanying them to Paris and placing the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. "An unforgettable
moment, a mixture of pride and emotion", he said.