Gabrielle Weidner
Encyclopedia
Gabrielle Weidner was an important French resistance member in World War II
.
The child of Dutch
parents, she grew up in Collonges
, France
in the Ain
département, near the Swiss
border where her father served as the minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. She was sent to secondary school in London
and as a result of her background, spoke several languages.
A devoutly religious girl, she was living and doing church work in Paris
at the outbreak of World War II. With the ensuing German
occupation of France, Weidner fled to the south with her brother, Johan Hendrik Weidner
. Following the June 22, 1940 signing of the agreement with the Nazis to create Vichy France
, she returned to Paris while her brother went to Lyon
where he established the "Dutch-Paris" underground.
In Paris, she worked for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and secretly with her brother and other volunteers to help people escape from the Nazis. As one of the significant contributors to French Resistance
, their efforts would be responsible for the rescue of at least 1,000 persons, including 800 Jews and more than 100 downed Allied airmen. However, on February 26, 1944 the Gestapo
arrested her along with 140 other members of the escape network. She was interrogated and tortured in Fresnes prison
in Paris, then shipped in a railway cattle car to the Ravensbrück concentration camp
in Germany
.
At Ravensbrück she was kept in horrific conditions, subjected to beatings, and used as slave labor. On February 17, 1945, Gabrielle Weidner died of malnutrition in a Ravensbrück sub camp a few days after being liberated by Soviet troops.
In Orry-la-Ville
in the Oise
département of France, she is recorded on a plaque dedicated to the Dutch line resistors.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The child of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
parents, she grew up in Collonges
Collonges
-France:Collonges is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Collonges, in the Ain département* Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, in the Rhône département* Collonges-la-Rouge, in the Corrèze département...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
département, near the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
border where her father served as the minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
. She was sent to secondary school in London
London
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 as a result of her background, spoke several languages.
A devoutly religious girl, she was living and doing church work in Paris
Paris
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...
at the outbreak of World War II. With the ensuing 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...
occupation of France, Weidner fled to the south with her brother, Johan Hendrik Weidner
Johan Hendrik Weidner
Johan Hendrik Weidner was a highly decorated hero of World War II.-Early life:...
. Following the June 22, 1940 signing of the agreement with the Nazis to create Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, she returned to Paris while her brother went to Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
where he established the "Dutch-Paris" underground.
In Paris, she worked for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and secretly with her brother and other volunteers to help people escape from the Nazis. As one of the significant contributors to 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...
, their efforts would be responsible for the rescue of at least 1,000 persons, including 800 Jews and more than 100 downed Allied airmen. However, on February 26, 1944 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...
arrested her along with 140 other members of the escape network. She was interrogated and tortured in Fresnes prison
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne South of Paris...
in Paris, then shipped in a railway cattle car to the Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
in Germany
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...
.
At Ravensbrück she was kept in horrific conditions, subjected to beatings, and used as slave labor. On February 17, 1945, Gabrielle Weidner died of malnutrition in a Ravensbrück sub camp a few days after being liberated by Soviet troops.
In Orry-la-Ville
Orry-la-Ville
Orry-la-Ville is a town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-References:*...
in the Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département of France, she is recorded on a plaque dedicated to the Dutch line resistors.