Cliquet, Charles

Date of birth:: January 21st, 1891 (Imphy, France)
Date of death:: March 27th, 1956 (Paris, XIIe, France)
Nationality:: French

Biography

With his wife, he began his activities as a resistance fighter in June 1940 (the Germans having arrived on the 20th), helping French detachments and escaped prisoners to cross into the free zone, via the Cher and the demarcation line.

Denounced, he was arrested for the first time in July 1940, imprisoned in Vierzon prison but released after five days for lack of sufficient evidence against him.

He immediately resumed these activities of "smuggler", thus coming to the aid not only of escaped prisoners, but also to agents of several intelligence services, or to members of the Allied Forces who were trying to return to England.

From June 1940, until the demarcation line was abolished, he succeeded in smuggling from one area to another 1,000 to 1,500 people, including 21 British or American airmen, 5 Canadians who had participated. at the Dieppe landing, and many French agents or allies of the intelligence services or resistance organizations. He made these passages, either by means of false papers that he made himself, or by guiding himself, day or night, those who came to ask for his help, between the German posts and the demarcation line.

Charles Cliquet found himself in touch with a large number of resistance organizations, or intelligence services, all of which made extensive use of his assistance, such as the SR (5th Bureau), the English organization which s' took care of the repatriation of allied airmen who fell in France, the Civil and Military Organization (OCM), etc. He contributes to the activity of these organizations, ensuring the passage of their agents from one zone to another, but also himself regularly crosses the line with information and documents. It also transmits military information to these organizations that it can collect itself.

Along with his activities as a resistance fighter, Charles Cliquet continued his medical studies as best he could and worked from time to time in a clinic in the region.

He continues his activity, known to a large number of people, although he knows to what extent he is suspected and watched by the German police. In addition to his arrest in July 1940, in March 1941 he was subjected to a search by the German gendarmerie at his home. Later, in August 1942, following further denunciations, he and his wife were arrested and imprisoned for four days, then released again for lack of evidence.

Finally, on March 23, 1943, he was arrested again, his address having been found by the German police in the papers of an English officer belonging to the organization responsible for helping Allied airmen.

After 17 days of interrogation in Bourges, during which he gave no information to the Gestapo, despite the threats and torture suffered, he was transferred to Fresnes, and, from there, on September 13, to the Saarbrücken camp, then to Buchenwald concentration camp and from there to Laura's punishment camp. He worked there in the manufacture of VI and V2, and saw two-thirds of his comrades die there in three months.

In June 1944, Charles Cliquet was sent back to Buchenwald. He left the following September, having volunteered for a working Kommando in Deutz, near Cologne, from where he hoped to be able to escape and join the Allies. He actually escaped on February 6, 1945, but was recaptured on the 16th by the Gestapo, while he was trying to cross the Rhine.

Taken to Kaiserau, 40 km east of Cologne, and almost completely deprived of food for four weeks, he however managed to escape again on April 11, cross the German lines at Runderoth, and rejoin the lines. allies.

After the war, he quickly finished his studies and, doctor of medicine, settled in Montreuil-sous-Bois.