Francis Cammaerts
Encyclopedia
Francis Charles Albert Cammaerts DSO
(16 June 1916 – 3 July 2006) was an outstanding Special Operations Executive
(SOE) agent who organised French Resistance
groups to sabotage German
communications in occupied France.
and raised in Radlett
in Hertfordshire, the son of Professor Emile Cammaerts
, a Belgian poet. He was educated at Mill Hill School
, where he was a contemporary of Francis Crick
and Patrick Troughton
. He became a pacifist in the 1930s while at Cambridge
, where he read English and history at St Catharine's
and also won a hockey Blue
. After university he briefly began a teaching career. He taught in Belfast
before moving on to Beckenham and Penge County School for Boys
, near London, where he taught with his close friend from university, Harry Rée
, who was also to join SOE.
In 1940 Cammaerts was refused registration as a conscientious objector
by his Local Tribunal, but it was granted by the Appellate Tribunal, conditional upon taking up agricultural work. He joined a farm training project at Holton Beckering, Lincolnshire
. However, after the death of his brother Pieter while serving in the Royal Air Force
, he felt he could no longer stand aside, and, as a fluent French speaker, he succumbed to the urging of Harry Rée
to join SOE.
, with a dangerous disregard for security that alerted him to the risks of such behaviour. Being over six feet tall, he felt very conspicuous, so he left Paris by the evening train for Annecy
to join Donkeyman. In Cannes
he established a cover as a teacher recovering from jaundice
. This was the only time that he spent more than four nights in the same place, as security rather than urgency was paramount at that stage of the war. After discovering that Donkeyman had been penetrated by Hugo Bleicher
of Abwehr
, he moved to St Jorioz in the mountains of Savoy
, and set up his own circuit (Jockey). This comprised seven or eight reliable individuals, one of whom was Cecily Lefort
. After being thoroughly briefed about the importance of security, these SOE agents set about recruiting potential saboteurs for when the time was ripe. Cammaerts' key to individual security was to insist that his agents always had a credible reason for being where they were, if stopped by a German patrol.
In the later part of 1943 he established several small semi-autonomous groups, all part of his Jockey circuit. They extended down the left bank of the Rhône between Vienne
and Arles
and eastwards through the hinterland to the Isère Valley. He travelled around on a motorbike visiting each group, no one, of course knowing his real name, nationality or place of abode. By the end of 1943 Cammaerts had made sure his Jockey circuit was ready to play its part in any sabotage that might be required. In November 1943 he was recalled to London for briefing, and, while there, he raised the problem of the enmity between the different agents working in France, some under the command of General Charles de Gaulle
’s headquarters and others, many of them French citizens, under the command of SOE’s French section. The Gaullists believed that it was unconstitutional for French citizens to be recruited by a foreign power. As Britain and the Free French were fighting for the same cause, this might seem a very minor quibble. It was never entirely resolved, however, and de Gaulle insisted that all SOE operations in France ceased soon after the liberation of Paris
in August 1944.
On his return to France in February 1944, Cammaerts’ aircraft crashed on landing; fortunately he was unhurt. He went on to check that his Jockey circuit was OK and later visited the 3,000+ group of Maquisards
(young Frenchmen who had fled to the Vercors plateau
to avoid being sent for forced labour in Germany). In April 1944 he informed SOE’s London headquarters that the Vercors had a finely organised army, but they needed long-distance and anti-tank weapons. Cammaerts' Jockey circuit played its part following the Normandy Landings: they and the other SOE circuits cut railway lines and helped to severely hinder German troop and machinery movements. Cammaerts was appointed head of Allied missions in southeastern France. By this time he had built up an organisation of more than 10,000 people. The Vercors plateau did not fare so well, having been refused the heavy weapons by London, where it was felt, according to Yugoslav experience, that guerillas should not stand and fight. Vercors was attacked by two German divisions complete with air support. It was, of course, a rout and the Maquisards fled to whatever hiding place they could find.
In August 1944 the Allies invaded southern France (Operation Dragoon
), and the Jockey circuit and other SOE teams played their parts. They kept open the route from Cannes to Grenoble
, allowing the Allied armies to get clear of the lower Rhône valley. It was at this point that, despite his meticulous care for security, Cammaerts, Xan Fielding
and another colleague were arrested by the Gestapo
in Digne. The Gestapo probably did not realise Cammaerts’ significance. Krystyna Skarbek
, a young Polish SOE operative who had avoided arrest, managed to get Cammaerts and the others released. She confronted two collaborators, Albert Schenck, a French liaison officer to the Gestapo and a Belgian interpreter, telling them that US troops would arrive within hours and that if they did not co-operate she would ensure the pair were handed over to an avenging mob of French citizenry. The terrified collaborators succeeded in getting Cammaerts, Fielding and their colleague released.
This chapter marked the end of Cammaerts' time in occupied France, 15 months in total. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, awarded the Distinguished Service Order
and the Legion d'honneur
, Croix de Guerre and the American Medal of Freedom for his exploits in southern France. As in the case of others who operated in enemy-held territory for prolonged periods, he gave a great deal of credit to the ordinary French citizens who had provided him and his colleagues with safety and comfort. In the BBC TV series Secret Agent, broadcast in 2000, he said, "The most important element was the French housewife who fed us, clothed us and kept us cheerful".
. In 1952 he returned to teaching, and later became the headmaster of Alleyne's Grammar School in Stevenage
for nine years. He was principal of the City of Leicester College of Education 1961-66, and Professor of Education in Nairobi
1966-72. He later returned to England, to become head of Rolle College
, a teacher training college at Exmouth
, which later became part of University of Plymouth
. In 1981, aged 65, he came out of retirement to start a teacher training college in Botswana
. He finally retired in 1987, returning to live in the south of France until his death in 2006.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(16 June 1916 – 3 July 2006) was an outstanding Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE) agent who organised French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
groups to sabotage German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
communications in occupied France.
Early life
Cammaerts was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and raised in Radlett
Radlett
Radlett is a small town in the county of Hertfordshire between St Albans and Borehamwood on Watling Street with a population of approximately 8,000. It is located in the council district of Hertsmere and is covered by two wards, Aldenham East and Aldenham West...
in Hertfordshire, the son of Professor Emile Cammaerts
Émile Cammaerts
Émile Leon Cammaerts was a Belgian poet.He became Professor of Belgian Studies at the University of London in 1933, and his papers are held there in Senate House Library....
, a Belgian poet. He was educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
, where he was a contemporary of Francis Crick
Francis Crick
Francis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, and most noted for being one of two co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, together with James D. Watson...
and Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
. He became a pacifist in the 1930s while at Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he read English and history at St Catharine's
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
and also won a hockey Blue
University Sporting Blue
A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
. After university he briefly began a teaching career. He taught in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
before moving on to Beckenham and Penge County School for Boys
Langley Park School for Boys
Langley Park School for Boys is a boys' comprehensive secondary school in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, with a mixed-gender sixth form...
, near London, where he taught with his close friend from university, Harry Rée
Harry Rée
Harry Alfred Rée DSO OBE was a British educationist and wartime member of the Special Operations Executive.Harry Rée was born in England, the son of Dr Alfred Rée, a chemist who was descended from an illustrious Danish Jewish family, and Lavinia Dimmick, the American-born great granddaughter of...
, who was also to join SOE.
In 1940 Cammaerts was refused registration as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
by his Local Tribunal, but it was granted by the Appellate Tribunal, conditional upon taking up agricultural work. He joined a farm training project at Holton Beckering, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. However, after the death of his brother Pieter while serving in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, he felt he could no longer stand aside, and, as a fluent French speaker, he succumbed to the urging of Harry Rée
Harry Rée
Harry Alfred Rée DSO OBE was a British educationist and wartime member of the Special Operations Executive.Harry Rée was born in England, the son of Dr Alfred Rée, a chemist who was descended from an illustrious Danish Jewish family, and Lavinia Dimmick, the American-born great granddaughter of...
to join SOE.
SOE service
Cammaerts began extensive training with SOE in October 1942. He was given the rank of captain and the code name Roger, and flown into occupied northern France in March 1943. More than a dozen SOE circuits were active in France at that time; Cammaerts was assigned to the Donkeyman circuit, then operating in the upper Rhône Valley, but his SOE reception party drove him first to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, with a dangerous disregard for security that alerted him to the risks of such behaviour. Being over six feet tall, he felt very conspicuous, so he left Paris by the evening train for Annecy
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
to join Donkeyman. In Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
he established a cover as a teacher recovering from jaundice
Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
. This was the only time that he spent more than four nights in the same place, as security rather than urgency was paramount at that stage of the war. After discovering that Donkeyman had been penetrated by Hugo Bleicher
Hugo Bleicher
Hugo Ernst Bleicher was a German senior non-commissioned officer of the Abwehr who worked against French Resistance in German-occupied France....
of Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
, he moved to St Jorioz in the mountains of Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
, and set up his own circuit (Jockey). This comprised seven or eight reliable individuals, one of whom was Cecily Lefort
Cecily Lefort
Cecily Lefort was a British SOE agent, during World War II.-Early life:Born as Cecily Margot MacKenzie in London of Scottish ancestry, she lived on the coast of Brittany in France from the age of 24 with her French husband, Dr...
. After being thoroughly briefed about the importance of security, these SOE agents set about recruiting potential saboteurs for when the time was ripe. Cammaerts' key to individual security was to insist that his agents always had a credible reason for being where they were, if stopped by a German patrol.
In the later part of 1943 he established several small semi-autonomous groups, all part of his Jockey circuit. They extended down the left bank of the Rhône between Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
and Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
and eastwards through the hinterland to the Isère Valley. He travelled around on a motorbike visiting each group, no one, of course knowing his real name, nationality or place of abode. By the end of 1943 Cammaerts had made sure his Jockey circuit was ready to play its part in any sabotage that might be required. In November 1943 he was recalled to London for briefing, and, while there, he raised the problem of the enmity between the different agents working in France, some under the command of General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
’s headquarters and others, many of them French citizens, under the command of SOE’s French section. The Gaullists believed that it was unconstitutional for French citizens to be recruited by a foreign power. As Britain and the Free French were fighting for the same cause, this might seem a very minor quibble. It was never entirely resolved, however, and de Gaulle insisted that all SOE operations in France ceased soon after the liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
in August 1944.
On his return to France in February 1944, Cammaerts’ aircraft crashed on landing; fortunately he was unhurt. He went on to check that his Jockey circuit was OK and later visited the 3,000+ group of Maquisards
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
(young Frenchmen who had fled to the Vercors plateau
Vercors Plateau
The Vercors is a range of plateaux and mountains in the départements of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, from which it is separated by the rivers Drac and Isère...
to avoid being sent for forced labour in Germany). In April 1944 he informed SOE’s London headquarters that the Vercors had a finely organised army, but they needed long-distance and anti-tank weapons. Cammaerts' Jockey circuit played its part following the Normandy Landings: they and the other SOE circuits cut railway lines and helped to severely hinder German troop and machinery movements. Cammaerts was appointed head of Allied missions in southeastern France. By this time he had built up an organisation of more than 10,000 people. The Vercors plateau did not fare so well, having been refused the heavy weapons by London, where it was felt, according to Yugoslav experience, that guerillas should not stand and fight. Vercors was attacked by two German divisions complete with air support. It was, of course, a rout and the Maquisards fled to whatever hiding place they could find.
In August 1944 the Allies invaded southern France (Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
), and the Jockey circuit and other SOE teams played their parts. They kept open the route from Cannes to Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
, allowing the Allied armies to get clear of the lower Rhône valley. It was at this point that, despite his meticulous care for security, Cammaerts, Xan Fielding
Xan Fielding
Xan Fielding, born Alexander Wallace Fielding DSO , was a British soldier and writer, noted for his English translations of Planet of the Apes and The Bridge on the River Kwai, both by Pierre Boulle....
and another colleague were arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in Digne. The Gestapo probably did not realise Cammaerts’ significance. Krystyna Skarbek
Krystyna Skarbek
Krystyna Skarbek, GM, OBE, Croix de guerre was a Polish Special Operations Executive agent. She became celebrated especially for her daring exploits in intelligence and irregular-warfare missions in Nazi-occupied Poland and France....
, a young Polish SOE operative who had avoided arrest, managed to get Cammaerts and the others released. She confronted two collaborators, Albert Schenck, a French liaison officer to the Gestapo and a Belgian interpreter, telling them that US troops would arrive within hours and that if they did not co-operate she would ensure the pair were handed over to an avenging mob of French citizenry. The terrified collaborators succeeded in getting Cammaerts, Fielding and their colleague released.
This chapter marked the end of Cammaerts' time in occupied France, 15 months in total. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and the Legion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, Croix de Guerre and the American Medal of Freedom for his exploits in southern France. As in the case of others who operated in enemy-held territory for prolonged periods, he gave a great deal of credit to the ordinary French citizens who had provided him and his colleagues with safety and comfort. In the BBC TV series Secret Agent, broadcast in 2000, he said, "The most important element was the French housewife who fed us, clothed us and kept us cheerful".
Post-war
After demobilisation he worked for the International Agency for Reparations in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In 1952 he returned to teaching, and later became the headmaster of Alleyne's Grammar School in Stevenage
Stevenage
Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1, and is between Letchworth Garden City to the north, and Welwyn Garden City to the south....
for nine years. He was principal of the City of Leicester College of Education 1961-66, and Professor of Education in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
1966-72. He later returned to England, to become head of Rolle College
Rolle College
Rolle College was a teacher training college in Exmouth, Devon, England. The college opened in 1949. It later became part of Plymouth University and was closed in 2009, when Plymouth University relocated the campus, its 3000 students and 400 staff to their main campus in Plymouth.Rolle played a...
, a teacher training college at Exmouth
Exmouth
Exmouth is a town in Devon. It may also refer to:Places*Exmouth Peninsula in Southern Chile*Exmouth, Western AustraliaPeople*Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth , a British naval officerShips...
, which later became part of University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
. In 1981, aged 65, he came out of retirement to start a teacher training college in Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. He finally retired in 1987, returning to live in the south of France until his death in 2006.
See also
- List of SOE Agents
- SOE F Section networksSOE F Section networksThese are the networks, also known as circuits, established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations Executive during the Second World War...
- SOE F Section timelineSOE F Section timelineTimeline of events in the history of Section F of the Special Operations Executive. See also SOE F Section networks.*The relevant modern administrative département numbers are added, after several of the place names, so as to facilitate the tracing of events geographically.-May 1941-July 1941:...
- Krystyna SkarbekKrystyna SkarbekKrystyna Skarbek, GM, OBE, Croix de guerre was a Polish Special Operations Executive agent. She became celebrated especially for her daring exploits in intelligence and irregular-warfare missions in Nazi-occupied Poland and France....
External links
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1814442,00.htmlCammaerts' obituary in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
] - Interview, Leicester Mercury