Eugène Chavant was the founder of the French resistance organisation France Combat in 1942 and a prominent member of the

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. His

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

was Clement, hence the "dit Clement" on the memorial to him in Grenoble. He was a member of the CDLN (Departmental Committee for National Liberation) for the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Memorial to Eugene Chavant (dit Clement)

Early life

Eugène Chavant was born on 12 February 1894 in Colombe, Isère, the son of a shoe-maker. He studied at the village school before becoming a mechanic in a factory, during which time he followed the distance-learning programme of the Ecole du Génie Civil which allowed him to become a master tradesman.

World War 1

In 1914, he was mobilised in the 11th

Dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat ...

, then transferred to the 20th

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of Chasseurs where he was made a sergeant and platoon leader. Gassed near Soissons in 1918, he refused to leave the front. His attitude led him to receive the Médaille Militaire and the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with four citations.

Present-day

In Grenoble, he is commemorated by the tram-stop (lines A and C) Chavant.

Honours

* Commandeur de la

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

* Compagnon de la Libération * Commandeur de l' Ordre National du Mérite * Médaille Militaire *

1914-1918 (4 citations) *

1939-1945 * Médaille de la Résistance

References

*
Entry on ordredelaliberation.fr
** The majority of this article was translated from the French source text there. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chavant, Eugene French Resistance members French military personnel of World War I Companions of the Liberation People from Colombes Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Resistance Medal