At the end of WWI, a few thousand Russian officers were stationed in the northwestern French town of Laval while the powers that be decided on their fate. They hadn’t been involved in combat operations since the spring of 1917…
An extract from Chapter 2 of ‘Orwell in Paris – Down & Out with the Russain Captain’.
We follow over Eric Blair’s shoulder in 1928 as he discovers the streets around his hotel.
A microfilm extract from the Paris police archives shows that Eric Blair registered with the Paris police on the 20th of June 1928. It appears to be in his own hand. He gives his address & (not for the last time) his incorrect date of birth. The “SP” just under his nationality stands for “Sans Papiers” meaning he had no, or at least presented no, ID papers.