Louise Thuliez (12 December 1881 – 10 October 1966) was a French schoolteacher, resistance fighter during

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 ...

and

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 ...

and author.

Life and career

Thuliez was born in

Preux-au-Bois Preux-au-Bois () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry Points of interest * Arboretum de l'Étang David *There is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery just outside of the village with graves from World War ...

, northern France on 12 December 1881. When

broke out, Thuliez was working as a teacher in Saint-Waast-la Vallée. She then became part of an underground network that helped allied soldiers who were trapped behind enemy lines to get out of Belgium and into Holland. She worked closely with

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...

, Philippe Baucq and Princess Marie of Croÿ. By the time German authorities closed in on the network, they had rescued around 200 soldiers. Thuliez was the first to be arrested, along with Philippe Baucq on 31 July 1915. She was sentenced to death by German court martial but the sentence was later reduced to life in prison due to the intervention of

Alfonso XIII of Spain Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

. She was imprisoned in Saint-Gilles prison in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and released on 8 November 1918. Thuliez published a book in 1933 on her experiences in prison called, ''Condemned to Death'' which won a

Montyon Prize The Montyon Prize (french: Prix Montyon) is a series of prizes awarded annually by the French Academy of Sciences and the Académie française. They are endowed by the French benefactor Baron de Montyon. History Prior to the start of the French R ...

in 1935. Thuliez worked with Princess Marie de Croÿ again during

. Thuliez helped Allied soldiers escape from the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

region of

occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

while de Croÿ hid soldiers in a château in

Bellignies Bellignies () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The commune ...

. She died in Paris on 10 October 1966. In 1970, a statue of Thuliez was erected in Preux-au-Bois and a street in Paris was named after her in 1974.

References

{{Authority control 1881 births 1996 deaths Women in World War II French women in World War I Female resistance members of World War II Civilians who were court-martialed French women in World War II Montyon Prize laureates