Lucie Aubrac
| Lucie Aubrac | |
|---|---|
Lucie Aubrac at age 90
|
|
| Born |
Lucie Bernard 29 June 1912 Macon, France |
| Died | 14 March 2007 (aged 94) Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | member of French Resistance, history teacher |
| Spouse(s) |
Raymond Aubrac (1939-2007); (her death) |
| Children | 3 |
Lucie Samuel (29 June 1912 – 14 March 2007), born Lucie Bernard, and better known as Lucie Aubrac (French pronunciation: [lysi obʁak]), was a French history teacher and member of the French Resistance during World War II.
Lucie Bernard was born in Mâcon, the daughter of modest Burgundy winegrowers. She was raised in a Catholic family. In 1939, Barnard married Raymond Samuel (31 July 1914 – 10 April 2012), a Jew, whom she met in Strasbourg in December 1939. Raymond Samuel would later come to be known as Raymond Aubrac, having had to change his surname due to open anti-Semitism and persecution of Jews during the Nazi occupation of France.
After the fall of France, Lucie joined the Libération-sud resistance group in Lyon after its formation by her husband. Later, she followed him to the Charles Delestraint's group. In 1941 they joined forces with Emmanuel d'Astier to run the underground newspaper, Libération, the same year their first child, Jean-Pierre, was born.
On 21 June 1943, the Gestapo captured Raymond alongside high-ranking Resistance member Jean Moulin (under the alias "Max") and many others. They were taken to Montluc prison, located near Lyon. The Nazis sought Jean Moulin in particular as he was General Charles de Gaulle's top representative in the French Resistance.
Lucie was able to talk face to face with Klaus Barbie, Lyon's Gestapo chief. Her alias was "Ghislaine de Barbentane", a name of high-standing, noble origin. Because of her pregnancy and a specific provision of French law called "marriage in extremis," under which a person condemned to death can marry civilly, Lucie managed to convince Barbie that she was unmarried, and being pregnant could not be a mother without being married (known as a "fille-mère"). Barbie unwisely allowed Raymond to be released for the wedding, which gave Lucie and the Resistance an opportunity.
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Wikipedia