Martha Desrumaux (18 October 1897 - 30 November 1982) was a militant communist and 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 ...

. Martha Desrumaux was born on October 18, 1897, in Comines in France. She was an emblematic figure of the workers' movement and the French internal resistance. A trade union activist of the General Labor Confederation and member of the French Communist Party, she joined the resistance in the North. Deported to the

Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a German concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure o ...

for more than three years, in 1945 she was appointed delegate representing the deportees in the Consultative Assembly convened by

General de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

, becoming one of the first sixteen parliamentary representatives in France1,2. She is also known for her commitment to the defense of women's rights, their recognition and their emancipation in society. As one of the prominent Ravensbrück concentration camp inmates Martha Desrumaux was publicly commemorated during the liberation celebrations at the Ravensbrück National Memorial of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

(GDR), like Yevgenia Klemm, Antonina Nikiforova, Mela Ernst,

Rosa Jochmann Rosa Jochmann (19 July 1901 – 28 January 1994) was an Austrian resistance activist and Ravensbrück concentration camp survivor who became a politician (SPÖ). Life Provenance and early years Rosa Jochmann was born in the 20th district ...

, Katja Niederkirchner, Rosa Thälmann,

Olga Benário Prestes Olga Benário Prestes (Brazilian Portuguese: /ˈɔwgɐ beˈnaɾju prɛstʃis/, February 12, 1908 – April 23, 1942) was a German-Brazilian communist militant executed by Nazi Germany. Biography Olga was born in Munich as Olga Gutmann Ben� ...

, Olga Körner, Minna Villain, and Maria Grollmuß. Desrumaux died on November 30, 1982, in Évenos.

References

* Outteryck, Pierre (2006). ''Martha Desrumaux: Une femme du Nord, ouvrière, syndicaliste, déportée, féministe.'' Le Geai Bleu éditions 2006. ISBN 978-2914670524 * Tillack-Graf, Anne-Kathleen (2012). ''Erinnerungspolitik der DDR. Dargestellt an der Berichterstattung der Tageszeitung „Neues Deutschland“ über die Nationalen Mahn- und Gedenkstätten Buchenwald, Ravensbrück und Sachsenhausen.'' Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2012. ISBN 978-3-631-63678-7 1897 births 1982 deaths People from Comines, Nord French Communist Party politicians Members of the Provisional Consultative Assembly Members of the General Confederation of Labour (France) Members of the Confédération générale du travail unitaire French socialist feminists International Lenin School alumni Communist members of the French Resistance Ravensbrück concentration camp survivors Recipients of the Resistance Medal {{World-War-II-bio-stub

References

Further reading