Page "Jacques Brel" Paragraph 3

Brel was never a good student, failing many of his exams.

In August 1947, at the age of 18, he went to work at his father's cardboard factory.

To offset the boredom of his daily office routine, he joined a local Catholic youth organization, La Franche Cordée, which was dedicated to philanthropic work.

In 1948, Brel also enrolled for part-time military service.

By 1949, Brel became president of La Franche Cordée, and produced a number of benefit plays for the organization, including Saint Exupéry's Le Petit Prince.