Marie Reynoard, born in Bastia (Haute-Corse) on October 28, 1897, and died in Ravensbrück ( Germany) on January 30, 1945, was a heroine of the Grenoble Resistance during the Second World War.

Biography

A brilliant student, she joined the prestigious École normale supérieure de jeunes filles (Sèvres); in 1921, she taught in Cahors and then in

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, before being appointed in 1936 to the Lycée Stendhal in Grenoble. Despite fragile health that forced her to take rest cures in the mountains, she joined the Resistance in 1940 by founding the resistance movement Vérité. During a trip to

, she met Henri Frenay, leader of the National Liberation Movement. She brought together the first resistance fighters in Grenoble in her small apartment at 4 rue Joseph-Fourier. At the end of November 1941, in the presence of Henri Frenay and François de Menthon, the Vérité et Liberté movements merged under the name of French Liberation then

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 ...

, which also became the name of the clandestine newspaper of the network. She then took over the departmental leadership of the Combat movement. Marie Reynoard began by distributing leaflets from Lyon.

Arrest

Reynoard was arrested in May 1943 in Lyon by Jean Multon, a collaborator of Klaus Barbie at the Gestapo.

Tributes

In Grenoble, a commemorative plaque at the Lycée Stendhal, where she taught, has been installed, as well as at her home. A kindergarten and an avenue in Grenoble bear her name since 1968, a residence for students since September 2013. Also bear her name in the Grenoble region, a high school in Villard-Bonnot and the hall of the eco-district of Gières since 2016.Lycée Marie Reynoard
/ref> A school in Bastia ( Haute-Corse), her birthplace, bears her name.

Decorations

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...

, 24 April 1946

Bibliography

* Fernand Garnier, Marie Reynoard, Press university of Grenoble, 1995

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynoard, Marie Ravensbrück concentration camp prisoners 1897 births 1945 deaths History of Grenoble People who died in Ravensbrück concentration camp