'Gone with the Wind' creator aided tiny French town

Atlanta: When a tiny French town destroyed during the Second World War needed help rebuilding, Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell came to the rescue.

Mitchell's efforts on behalf of Vimoutiers are little known, even to those who have studied her life and papers. Like other aspects of Mitchell's life, her penchant for charitable giving has been overshadowed by the best-selling book and subsequent film, said Hillary Hardwick, spokesperson for the Margaret Mitchell House museum.

"I think people do not understand the extent to which she was involved in philanthropic efforts both in Atlanta and elsewhere," Hardwick said.

There is no mention of Mitchell's connection to Vimoutiers at the museum, said Hardwick, who said she hadn't heard the story until an Associated Press reporter called.

There's a brief mention on a timeline of Mitchell's life on the museum's website: "Helped to rebuild French town of Vimoutiers after World War II."

The story of how Mitchell came to donate money to rebuild the town's hospital begins in mid-1944, when she got a letter from Denis Barois, a French Air Force pilot. He wrote to tell her how her book had resonated with him.

It was 1942 when Barois fled his occupied country and headed to north Africa to answer Gen Charles de Gaulle's call for resistance. In Morocco, he joined the French Air Force and was sent to the US for pilot training.

In November 1944, Mitchell received Barois at her home when they came to Atlanta after completing advanced training.

"She was very small but very nice and very funny," Barois said.

When Barois returned to France after the war, he married a woman from Vimoutiers and discovered the devastation there. The town had been mistakenly bombed by Allied forces.

"The town was extremely destroyed," Barois said.

He and Mitchell remained friends after the war, often exchanging letters and trinkets by mail.

When Vimoutiers was struggling to raise money to rebuild, Barois thought of his famous American friend. Mitchell was so touched by the account that she sent a check to rebuild the hospital and enlisted the help of the Pilot Club International to help fund the rebuilding of the rest of the town. It's unknown how much Mitchell donated.

The town was so grateful they made Mitchell an honorary citizen of Vimoutiers in July 1949. It was an honour Mitchell apparently held dear, according to a letter at the town's historical society.

Mitchell wrote in the letter that she hoped to visit France and see the rebuilt Vimoutiers. But she was hit by a car just a few weeks later in Atlanta and died aged 48. This month marks the 65th anniversary of the bombing, and Mitchell remains a beloved figure in Vimoutiers.