Suzanne Leclézio (13 September 1898 – 1 May 1987) was a Mauritius-born

French resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

fighter, nurse, and railway social worker. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she worked in the French resistance with the network and alongside her partner

Yvonne Ziegler Yvonne Ziegler (née Yvonne Henriette Marie Lefeuve; 1 June 1902 – 16 January 1988) was a French Resistance, French resistance fighter, painter, sculptor, engraver, and educator. She had founded and directed the Académie Ziegler in Paris. Z ...

, and led the "Marcadet Street Health Center" (also known as Centre d'hygiène sociale, chemin de fer du Nord) in Paris helping save Jewish families. Leclézio was also known by her French resistance

code name A code name, codename, call sign, or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in ...

, Georgette.

Early life and education

Suzanne Leclézio was born on 13 September 1898, in

Saint Pierre, Mauritius Saint Pierre is a village in the district of Moka in Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the ...

, to French parents. She was raised in Mauritius, and at the age of 24 she moved to France. Leclézio enrolled at the age of 33 in a nursing school, from which she graduated the same year, specializing in childcare.

Career

In the 1930s, Leclézio worked at the SNCF social centre in Paris, led by the

Société nationale des chemins de fer français The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

(or SNCF; English: ''National Company of the French Railways''). Starting in the early 1930s her

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

partner was artist

, and together they lived in the

14th arrondissement of Paris The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory"; named after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, ...

, at 43 rue Boissonade. Leclézio and Ziegler joined the resistance network together as second lieutenants. Leclézio's code name was Georgette. The couple housed resistance fighters in their home, and started a health centre at 22

rue Marcadet The Rue Marcadet is a road that stretches the north side of the Butte Montmartre in Paris, France. It is located in the 18th arrondissement. History There is some discussion on the origin of the name, but it seems to be derived from a hamlet ...

, the "Marcadet Street Health Center" (also known as Centre d'hygiène sociale, chemin de fer du Nord) where they saved Jewish families and feed Jewish children in the

18th arrondissement of Paris The 18th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements, or administrative districts, of Paris, the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as '' ...

. Ziegler and Leclézio were denounced, and the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, 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 F ...

arrested them on 27 July 1944, at their home on Rue Boissonade. They were tortured, then taken to the Fresnes prison and imprisoned, and followed by deportation by the last convoy of political prisoners on 15 August 1944 to the

Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a Nazi 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 of 1 ...

. Ziegler and Leclézio escaped during the

death marches A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war, other captives, or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinct from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convention requires that ...

, and in May 1945 were liberated by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. Upon her return, Leclézio remained the director of the Marcadet Street Health Center until 1984. Leclézio was named a

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d'h ...

(Knight) of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, received the French military decorations

Croix de Guerre The (, ''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 awarded during World ...

, and the

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (, ) 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 February 1943 "to recognize the ...

. Ziegler also received the Croix de Guerre and the Resistance Medal. They retired to

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

, at La Charretterie, a Normandy farm. They ended their lives in the retirement home of

Blangy-le-Château Blangy-le-Château () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Notable people that lived here include Suzanne Leclézio, and Yvonne Ziegler. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados depa ...

in Normandy, France.

Death and legacy

Leclézio died at the age of 89 on 1 May 1987, in the retirement home in Blangy-le-Château. A few months afterwards, Ziegler died. The history and story of Leclézio and Ziegler was lost for many years, and in more recent times it has been documented by French history researcher Laurent Thévenet. In 2022, a tribute plaque was placed at 22 rue Marcadet, honoring both women and their work. The text on this plaque was deliberated on by the

Paris Council The Council of Paris ( French: ''Conseil de Paris'', ) is the deliberative body responsible for governing Paris, the capital of France. It possesses both the powers of a municipal council (''conseil municipal'') and those of a departmental co ...

, and was the first time the word "lesbian" was used on a public plaque in France. A small park in Paris is named "Square du 21-avril-1944", in reference to the date of a nearby bombing that occurred in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, leaving 500 death, and many of the wounded had been treated at the Marcadet Street Health Center.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leclézio, Suzanne 1898 births 1987 deaths French lesbians French Resistance members French women nurses French women in World War II Knights of the Legion of Honour People from Moka District Ravensbrück concentration camp survivors Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Resistance Medal