Jacqueline de Chambrun (1920-2013) was a French physician and activist. She was a 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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She campaigned for abortion rights as well as human rights for the homeless and undocumented immigrants in France.

Early life

Jacqueline de Chambrun was born as Jacqueline Retourné in 1920 in Casablanca, Morocco. Her father, Henri Retourné, was a veteran of

World War I 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 ...

. Her mother was a dressmaker. De Chambrun graduated from the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest univ ...

, where she studied medicine.

Career

De Chambrun was a paediatrician. In 1942, in the midst of

, de Chambrun joined

Combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

, a group within the

. She escaped from the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

in Montpellier in July 1943, and she served in Combat in Paris, Marseille and Lyon. She escaped from the Gestapo once again in January 1944, this time in Lyon. Taking the pseudonym of Lieutenant Noëlle, she joined the

Maquis du Mont Mouchet The Maquis du Mont Mouchet were a group of French resistance fighters during the Second World War that were based at Mont Mouchet. The Germans, having discovered the maquis, made several attacks up until May 1944 with about 3,000 men and using a ...

, serving until June 1944. She subsequently joined another maquis which focused on sabotaging trains. De Chambrun was a member of the

Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme The (National Consultative Commission on Human Rights, CNCDH) is a French governmental organization created in 1947 by an from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor the respect for human rights in the country. It may acts as counsellor f ...

, where she championed the human rights of the homeless and undocumented immigrants. She campaigned for abortion rights in France. She also volunteered for

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

and served on the board of trustees of the Secours populaire français. De Chambrun was the subject of a 2008 documentary, ''Sans jamais renoncer'', directed by her grandson, Axel Ramonet de Chambrun. She was a Commander of the

Legion of Honour 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, ...

Personal life and death

De Chambrun married

Gilbert de Chambrun Count Gilbert de Chambrun (1909–2009) was a French politician. He was a member of the French Resistance and he served in the National Assembly. Early life Gilbert de Chambrun was born on 2 November 1909 in Paris, France. His father, Pierre de ...

. They had four children. She died on 24 September 2013 in

Marvejols Marvejols (; oc, Maruèjols), is a commune in the Lozère department in southern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Marvejolais''. Geography The commune is located in the Massif central. The Colagne flows southward through the middle of t ...

, France. She was 92 years old. Her funeral was held at the église Notre-Dame de la Carce in Marvejols.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambrun, Jacqueline de 1920 births 2013 deaths People from Casablanca French expatriates in Morocco French pediatricians French abortion-rights activists University of Montpellier alumni French Resistance members Commanders of the Legion of Honour