Leon Renaud Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 My name is Leon Renaud and for 3 years I was blacksmith at EDAville Rail Road in South Carver Mass. on weekends.EDAville had a real good program for their crafts people back then they paid minimum wage but if you supplied your own materials and a park visitor wanted one of your pieces the sale was between you and the visitor that money was yours. I say this because with that arrangment as a crafts person you were interested in what you were doing and the public got a much better display of craftsman at work , You didn't get people that spent more time talking about a craft but got to see more actual work being done.I tell you this because you could easily get involved in a proiject and almost forget you did indeed need to let visitors know what you were doing and why! there were always 1 or 2 people in any given crowd that would ask lots of questions and that was a good thing and there would almost daily be the one that wanted to show off just how much he didn't know of your craft! I had one very special person come into my shop in the 3 years I was there I will never forget. One Saturday morning shortly after the park opened an old man and 2 teen age girls came into the shop and they quietly stood there watching me set up a job, I started talking to them explaining what I was getting ready to do and they seemed only slightly interested but the old man said he wanted to stay a while longer and watch me work . This is when I learned the 2 young ladies were his Grand Daughters. As I started into the job this old man started talking to the young ladies about what I was doing and even though I was supposed to be telling them what was happenning the old man was always one step ahead of me and I started to feel like someone in a narated movie "How to"! The old guy would anticipate my every move and very accurately tell the girls what I would do next! I finally asked him how he knew so quickly and correctly what I would do and this is when he told me his story. " I was a blacksmith in the old country before the war "(WW II) to which one of the girls said"But Pappa you were a machineist when you came to America" to which he replied "Yes but to be a machineist then you had to be trained as a blacksmith too you made your own forgings and cast your own iron for many jobs so first you are a blacksmith" Then he went on "When I was in my late teens the Germans came and closed my grandfathers shops and took us to the camp there most of my family got put in a line I was at the back of the line and when a guard couldn't close a gate because there were too many behind it I and a few others were pulled away and put in another line. I never saw my family or the others in that line again! I had to give all my information to a guard sitting at a table which he wrote in a big book and I was marked and that too went in his book then I was sent to a hut to live, Several days later a guard came calling my name and I was scared but he looked for me because outside the camp a train had broken down and I was to see if I could fix it.I went to look and told them yes I could fix it IF I had my tools they asked what I would need and again notes were taken and I was returned to my hut, Two days later the guards again came for me but this time I was brought to a different part of the camp with many work areas and all the tools I needed where there for me to begin repairs to the train along with several other men to help. I spent 5 long years in that camp always that train would have problems " With this one of the now bored teens piped up with "Well Pappa if it kept breaking you weren't very good at fixing it!" I could not believe that this girl did not see the irony in what he had just told us! I could see that her words had cut the old man but he did not want her to see it, With that I reached out my hand look the old guy straight in the eye and said " From one craftsman to another it wasn't IF it would break but when!" I told the girls then how very skilled he was to be able to fix something in such a way that when it failed later his guards could not see that he let it happen! He said he got lucky and his camp was liberated and later he got a visa to come to America where he prospered in the machinerist trade eventually opening his own shop and prospering to the point of have around 50 people working for him. He being the first real old world craftsman I ever got to talk to I asked him how the training was done in his homeland back then and he told me how he apprenticed at a very early age in a blacksmiths shop and of some of how the training was done including journeyman training before he could work in his family's shops "We were all blacksmiths as far back as we could remember I was apprenticed to a blacksmith in the next town first not trained in my family shop, That smiths children apprenticed in my famillies shop as friends our families thought it was better to teach us this way rather than start us in our own familys shops.We also had a school we went to as part of the apprentice training it was here we would be tested to see what we were learning in our shop work. Like your schools here several times a year we would go there and they would give us differrent exercises to complete this is how we progressed through our training. For our Final exam we were given the task of making a lock and key while watched by several instructors. We had 3 days to complete this task and our grade was based on how long it took us to complete both the lock itself and the key to work it. This lock and Key was our MASTER PIECE. This day I was glad that no one had crowded into the shop yet to "Watch the man make a horseshoe"! Why did they always think I was making a horse shoe even when I pulled a serving spoon or door knocker or any of the differrent forgings I did from the fire? I had long forgotten I was the "teacher" in the shop listening to this old man talk! I did something then that could have easily gotten me in trouble I opened the small gate to the forge area and invited the old man in to spend some time at the anvil. With that offer He brightened and went to the forge he already knew what I had started to make and pulling the iron from the forge he reached for my hammer laying across my anvil and that is when I saw the tatoo across his right wrist ! He fumbled a little with his first few blows but soon fell into a clear rythm that you could tell could only come from years at the anvil he worked the forge and anvil for several minutes before laying my hammer back inplace before saying " Ive taken too much of your time already and I did promise my girls a day of fun at the park" I feel ashamed that I can't remember his name now this was some time in the late 80s but I will never forget him and his story, Another thing I can't forget was his "Mark" it was not numbers like we read about but a chain of symbols diamonds squares triangles etc. on the inside of his right wrist. He never named the "camp" he was held in and I was affraid to ask too many questions about it so never did find out where he was held. If anyone knows anything about the "Camp markings" please let me know I really would like to know more about where the old man was but didn't want to be rude or have him tell more than he wanted to.They left my shop with the old man promising he would stop back before they left for the day if he could but I never saw him again! I regret we couldn't have spent more time together think what he could have taught me! Both of Smithing and of his life in general. I swear this story is true! This is the first time I have shared it with anyone but my family When I couldn't be sure of his name as often as I think of him I needed to share it before it's forgotten I think his name was Peter but I'm not positive and I wanted to tell it before I foget any more details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Leon, You have been truly blessed to have met and spent time with this Master Blacksmith. Thank you for sharing your encounter with him. Please write this down somewhere other than here as it will be something for you to pass on to your family and others again. I have met one Master Blacksmith while I was at a fair but as you said, you have met that "special" person. Mark Rossnagel <>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thank you for sharing this heart felt story. You have been blessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironwolfforgeca Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 VERY Cool story I wonder how long it was since he was near a forge before that ? GLAD you let him use the forge ! :) sounds like it made his day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Leon, thank you indeed. In your minds eye you might try and re-create those marks on the mans wrist for any future reference. We are sometimes blessed in our lives to meet people with a history of skills. I have met a few but nothing of the scale you did. Thank you for the posting and please, if you have any other thoughts, post them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Dave Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 There are many people we meet in our lives, just for a few minutes, that for some reason, impact our lives. This story sounds like one of them. It is not necessary to find out all the details of that person's story, but to know they shared some of it with you. Also, the most important part for me is that you let him forge and use the anvil. This must of meant a great deal to him that day. By allowing him to forge, even for a few minutes, you did a great thing. Yes, it would be nice to know the rest of the story, but be happy that on that day, an old Blacksmith got to remember and got to hear that wonderful sound of the anvil ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman50 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Such a heartwarming story. You too, must be special having been given a rare chance to meet a truly extraordinary man. It is uplifting to the spirit. Thank you for sharing and keep sharing this gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sask Mark Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Very nice story. Thank-you for sharing it. A couple of weeks ago a similar (although less dramatic) thing happened to me recently. Last year I bought an anvil that was advertised online locally. The owner was on older Austrian man who was an apprentice in Austria before he emmigrated to Canada in his teens. He bought the anvil when he moved here as he always anticipated getting back into the craft, but life got in the way. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago so he thought he should streamline his life (plus he couldn't move around the 160 pound anvil on his own). When I picked up the anvil, he asked me why I wanted it. I told him that I have a blacksmith shop and, although my skills are rudimentary at best, I liked to hammer on hot steel. He asked if he could see my shop sometime and I told him that I would like that. The last year seemed to fly by without me getting to the shop much at all (it is an hour drive to my shop). The gentleman sent an email earlier in the year asking to see the shop again. After a few missed connections, we finally were able to see the shop a couple of weekends ago. I picked him up at his house and gave him a ride to the shop. When we walked into the shop, his eyes lit up. He didn't want to 'inconvenience' me and told me to not bother lighting the forge. I lit it up anyways and handed him a hammer and some steel. He didn't spend too much time hammering, but he thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. The smile on his face was infectious. I took him home after that and he was very appreciative. I checked my emails on Saturday. In my inbox was an email from the gentleman, once again thanking me for showing him the shop and letting him 'play' for a little while. I offered the use of the shop any time he wanted to hit some metal. I have a feeling he might take me up on the offer. He also offered to keep an eye out for any blacksmith tools that he comes across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I was visiting an Open Air Museum in Germany back in the '90's, (Bad Windsheim), and of course gravitated to the blacksmith's shop. The smith working was in his 80's and spoke very good English due to having spent several years as a prisoner of war in the United States. I showed him a billet I had brought with me, BSB&PS, and asked if he could weld it up. He admitted that he couldn't and I told him *I* could. With that he grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me over the crowd control rope, handed me a hammer and demanded that I show him. So I spent several wonderful hours showing him how I weld up a billet and discussing his collection of Roman iron artifacts. (My wife took the kids around the rest of the museum and bought them icecream at the restaurant---where she overheard the blacksmith's assistant talking to a gentleman in the restaurant about "Amerikanischer Schmied and Damaszener-Stahl". We later learned that he was talking to the Head of the Museum...) Truly one of my best memories of that summer in Germany. I gave him the billet to finish into a knife as well as the rest of my "sample sized" box of borax. (Yes I traveled with a billet and borax; spent 89 days in Germany on a business trip and *knew* I'd be suffering forge withdrawal; and it seems that most smiths I have met are always interested in watching folks weld up a billet...) Perhaps I was able to weld up a coldshut leftover from the war as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Great story! As we walk the paths of life people don't just cross by chance they are sent with purpose and most people do not even take the time to say HELLO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 A good story and worth telling. I hope we're all listening and can emulate your behavior if we find ourselves in a similar situation with a master smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLD Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 As a blacksmith in at a museum, Thank Youy for the story. You tell the story with a very good air of honor to both the old man and yourself. Many times the talkers in the crowd are full of hot air, those people make us appreciate the ones that really understand our craft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thank you Leon, meetings like yours and others related here are special moments in life. I don't have anything profound to say so I'll just say thanks for sharing guys. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 The marks on his wrist were simply a serial number from the "camps".Relatives of mine perished there. My parents came to the United States before the war. My dad enlisted in the US Army to fight his homeland. We lived in an immigrant community and I remember as a young boy of about eight or nine going for a walk one day and seeing an emaciated man raking leaves. He had the same tattoo on his wrist. Somehow it scared me and I went home and told my mom. She explained the Holucast to me for the first time and we walked back up the road and she had me talk with the man.He was SO glad to be here!!! I grew up in a time when my( and hundreds of other families)family would go to the Statue of Liberty and cry tears of thanks for being here. Kids of immigrants were expected to "be something". Not sure I've lived up to those expectations other than trying to be good citizen,dad,and husband.Never made much money. Sorry to go off on a tangent here.. Mention of those times still make me react and cry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Eric; being a "good citizen,dad,and husband" is worth far more than if you had been a billionaire and not a "good citizen,dad,and husband". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Eric, No tangent. A right-on comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Renaud Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 The marks on his wrist were simply a serial number from the "camps".Relatives of mine perished there. My parents came to the United States before the war. My dad enlisted in the US Army to fight his homeland. We lived in an immigrant community and I remember as a young boy of about eight or nine going for a walk one day and seeing an emaciated man raking leaves. He had the same tattoo on his wrist. Somehow it scared me and I went home and told my mom. She explained the Holucast to me for the first time and we walked back up the road and she had me talk with the man.He was SO glad to be here!!! I grew up in a time when my( and hundreds of other families)family would go to the Statue of Liberty and cry tears of thanks for being here. Kids of immigrants were expected to "be something". Not sure I've lived up to those expectations other than trying to be good citizen,dad,and husband.Never made much money. Sorry to go off on a tangent here.. Mention of those times still make me react and cry...Thanks for your post not worried about any tangent! I know what the tatoo meant my question on it was that there were no numbers I can remember just symbols and it was on the inside of his right wrist about where a watch band would sit. I remember friends of my family with numbers as a little boy thankfuly I didn't know what they meant! I have since learned that the Tatoo was just another way to degrade the jews since it was believed that marking the body this way would prevent their enterance into Heaven. So to recap my question on his mark does anyone know of a camp using other than numbers to mark prisoners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Leon: The Holocaust Museum folks would probably be able to answer that.They have some VERY knowledgeable personnel. Just "Google" it.I have two acquaintances who are survivors that I'll talk to next time I get into town.. Not too often these days. Jewish view of Heaven is kind of varied but basically explained in Ecclesiastes 12:17. I never have quite understood the rules about tattoos,piercings, and the need to be buried "whole",etc.,but interpretations really vary lot these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainSpaulding Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 This brought me to tears. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted November 29, 2012 Share Posted November 29, 2012 I enjoyed reading all these stories, they're priceless.....Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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