As indicated toward the end of the previous post in this series (here), Henry and Bea’s names appeared much less frequently on the pages of The Mennonite after they began the last phase of their relief work in early 1946. We pick up our story with the couple recently reunited, as Bea had just arrived in the Mennonite Relief Center in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The next report in The Mennonite, although published in early 1946, recounts an episode from late 1944 and the state of the relief work in mid 1945.
15 January 1946 (page 13 here, upper left column):
Clothing Distribution in France
The distribution of clothing has been a problem in France throughout the war. With one exception, early in the war, our own delegates have been unable to distribute personally any clothing in France. In November, 1944, during the Rundstedt offensive in the Ardennes Forest, four tons of clothing were shipped to Paris. When Sam Goering and Henry Buller arrived there to claim the shipment, it was gone. Due to the general confusion, the shipment had been erroneously distributed either by military orders or through the regular channels of Entr’Aide Francaise, a national relief organization. Although the clothing was likely distributed to needy persons, the E. F. officials were greatly concerned about the error and promised an allotment of clothing to make up for the “Loss”; in July, 1945, they made good this promise. Mrs. M. C. Lehman is now at the French Centre directing the clothing program; final distribution to needy cases is made through Mennonite workers and responsible persons such as ministers, school teachers and social workers.
Clothing was not the only resource provided to those who had suffered great loss during the war. The next mention of Henry (in the 7 May 1946 issue, page 4 here) concerns a shipment of flour. The entire article is well worth reading, as it details both the incredible need and MCC’s gracious provision for the poor in Egypt, England, France, Holland, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, and even Germany. I quote below only the paragraph that refers to Henry.
Gave Over Million Dollars Worth for Relief
by Atlee Beechy
…
The reports from the fields indicate that the goods are arriving in good condition and are much appreciated by those who receive them. We quote the following from one who has received: “And you send us the dresses in the name of Christ; therefore we are very thankful. If we did more in this world in the name of Christ, it would be very much better everywhere. We feel our brothers and sisters far away helped us”; and from a letter of a governmental official—“Will you kindly thank your committee and all the donors for the splendid work they have been doing for our poor Dutch people. I can assure you that we all are extremely thankful to find such a Christianity among our American friends.” Henry Buller, M.C.C. relief worker, writes: “John Fretz, who was in charge of the unloading, estimated that about five percent of the sacks (617 bag shipment) had holes in them. Further he estimated that probably in all about one sack full of flour has been lost as a result of spilling through tears.”
Although there are no published reports to document it, we can imagine that Bea and Henry, like MCC workers in other locations, distributed the food, clothing, tools, and kitchen utensils that the Mennonite churches of Canada and the United States had so graciously given.
The one report published during this time deals not with the distribution of specific goods but with a restructuring of the broader relief work (14 January 1947, page 11 here, upper right column):
Leaders of Mennonite Congregations in France Meet
About twenty-five representatives of French and Alsace Mennonite congregations met with five of our relief workers in Chalon on December 10, 1946, to learn more about the American Mennonites and the relief program in Europe. Our relief workers first contacted the French Mennonites in 1945 when Henri Volkamar Sr. of Colmar learned about our relief work.
The devotional period of the meeting was led by Bro. Walter Gering who spoke in the German language using as text Matt. 4:18. Henry Buller explained the background and work of the Mennonite Central Committee, the C. P. S. program, and the work of the Peace Section. A historical sketch and review of the relief work in France was also given. The French-Alsace delegates formed a liaison committee to represent relief and such concerns as would be mutually beneficial.—News release of December 27.
It is not obvious in this report, but this gathering of leaders of Mennonite congregations and the French MCC workers involved more than fellowship and mutual encouragement. In fact, the assembly signaled a decisive change in relief strategy: the MCC workers were informing the French and Alsace delegates about the relief work so that the latter could assume responsibility for coordinating it (see further Heisey and Heisey 2015, 113–14). The MCC would continue to engage in relief work, but the workers in the field would increasingly be Mennonites native to the region being served, not North Americans assigned there for limited periods of time.
So it was that, shortly after that December gathering in Chalon-sur-Saône, Henry and Bea traveled to the Lavercantière home for children, where they greeted the new year (see the end of the post here). They were on their way to a new assignment in the French occupation zone of Germany (see the map here). The couple was not happy about the reassignment and wrote to Elsie Bechtel that they were “sad … to leave France so suddenly” (Heisey and Heisey 2015, 117). Still, leave they did, to enter a new phase of their work. It is during the next few months, I should add, that Bea appeared on the dock at Bremerhaven, as she and other MCC workers said bon voyage to Russian Mennonite refugees bound for Paraguay (see here).
None of this is reported in The Mennonite. What we read next about Bea and Henry is a short notice in the 2 September 1947 issue (page 15 here, lower left column).
Relief Workers Recently Returning
Henry and Beatrice Buller returned on August 18 from service in France and the French Zone of Germany; Mary Miller and Ella Schmidt have returned from service in France.
Just like that, Henry and Bea’s European ministry was over. However, that was not the end of their story. There are several more notices about Bea and Henry on the pages of The Mennonite in the years after their return from active duty. We will pick up those reports—and more—in the remaining posts in this series.
Work Cited
Heisey, M. J., and Nancy R. Heisey. 2015. Relief Work as Pilgrimage: “Mademoiselle Miss Elsie” in Southern France, 1945–1948. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
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