Laval, Mayenne
Alain Gerbault was born on November 17, 1893, in Laval, Mayenne, to an upper-middle-class family. He spent much of his youth in Dinard, near the ancient port of St. Malo; he spent his summers playing tennis and football, as well as hunting and fishing. At college he studied civil engineering. He had a brother with whom they owned a lime factory in Laval.