Hélène Mallebrancke (3 March 1902 – 30 August 1940) was the first female Belgian civil engineer to graduate from the

University of Ghent Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

, and one of the earliest women engineers in Belgium. She was involved in the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

, keeping the Allied telecommunications networks in the

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

region operational against huge odds. She was decorated posthumously by both the French government and the Belgian authorities.

Early life

Hélène Mallebrancke was born on 3 March 1902 at

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western p ...

, to Georges Mallebrancke, an engineer and Caroline Spijers After studying at the

lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

for young girls in

, she passed the state exams, ''le Jury centrale'' in 1919. She then entered the

State University of Ghent Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting of 50,000 students a ...

, where she graduated in 1924 as a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

. Her father, Georges Mallebrancke, died on 27 November 1924. The following year she earned a diploma as

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

with distinction.

Career

In 1926, she joined the Belgian public telephone service, known from 1930 as the Régie des Télégraphes et Téléphones. By May 1940, she had become the chief engineer and was in charge of the

region.

World War Two

During the invasion of Belgium, although knowing that she had been seriously ill since the beginning of the year, she continued to work day and night in order to keep telecommunications operational in the Ghent region in support of the

Allies of World War II The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international Coalition#Military, military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its principal members were the "Four Policeme ...

. Exhausted, she was admitted to the Marie-Médiatrice Institute in Ghent, where she died on 30 August 1940 at the age of thirty-eight. When he learned of her death,

Charles Huntziger Charles Huntziger (; 25 June 1880 – 11 November 1941) was a French Army general during World War I and World War II. Biography He was born at Lesneven ( Finistère), in Brittany of a family which settled in the region, after the Prussian inv ...

, then Minister of War in the

Government of Vichy France The Government of Vichy France was the collaborationist ruling regime or government in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War. Of contested legitimacy, it was finally headquartered in the town of Vichy in occupied France, but it ini ...

sent her mother the

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 ...

with palms and the citation based on that of the French Army: In November 1946, by decree of the Regent, Charles de Belgique, she received the Belgian

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 ...

with palms.

Awards and recognition

* French

(with palms). * Belgian

(with palms) * Chevalier de l' Ordre de Léopold (Knight of the Order of Leopold) * In 2020, a road was named in her honour at

Oostakker Oostakker (; formerly spelled Oostacker) is a sub-municipality of the city of Ghent located in the province of East Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1977. In 1872, Sint-Amandsberg was detached from Oostakke ...

, la ''Mallebranckestraat''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallebrancke, Helene 1902 births 1940 deaths Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Belgian resistance members Engineers from Ghent Belgian electrical engineers Belgian civil engineers Belgian women engineers 20th-century women engineers 20th-century Belgian engineers 20th-century Belgian women scientists

Early life

Career

World War Two

Awards and recognition

See also

References