Roméo Sabourin
Encyclopedia
Roméo Sabourin is a Canadian hero of World War II
.
Lieutenant Sabourin joined the Canadian Army, serving in the Canadian Intelligence Corps
. Because of his training, skills his fluency in both the French language
and the English language
, he was recruited into the Special Operations Executive
.
From the London
base, he was parachuted into occupied France where he worked with the French Resistance
but was captured by the Gestapo
with members of the Robert Benoist
group and shipped to Buchenwald concentration camp on August 27, 1944.
Twenty-one-year-old Roméo Sabourin was executed by the Nazis on September 14, 1944 along with two other Canadian SOE agents, Frank Pickersgill
and John Kenneth Macalister
.
Lieutenant Sabourin is honored on the Groesbeek Memorial in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands
. As one of the SOE agents who died for the liberation of France, Lieutenant Sabourin is listed on the "Roll of Honor" on the Valençay SOE Memorial
in the town of Valençay
, in the Indre
département.
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...
.
Lieutenant Sabourin joined the Canadian Army, serving in the Canadian Intelligence Corps
Canadian Intelligence Corps
The Canadian Intelligence Corps was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army.-History:Many Canadians were active in the Intelligence field as early as 1939. Major John P...
. Because of his training, skills his fluency in both the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, he was recruited into the 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...
.
From the 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...
base, he was parachuted into occupied France where he worked with the 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...
but was captured 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...
with members of the Robert Benoist
Robert Benoist
Robert Marcel Charles Benoist was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and war hero.-Early life:Born near Rambouillet, Île-de-France, France, Robert Benoist was the son of Baron Henri de Rothschild's gamekeeper...
group and shipped to Buchenwald concentration camp on August 27, 1944.
Twenty-one-year-old Roméo Sabourin was executed by the Nazis on September 14, 1944 along with two other Canadian SOE agents, Frank Pickersgill
Frank Pickersgill
Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill is a Canadian hero of World War II....
and John Kenneth Macalister
John Kenneth Macalister
John Kenneth Macalister was a Canadian hero of World War II.Ken Macalister graduated the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute and from the University of Toronto, then as a Rhodes Scholar studied at Oxford University...
.
Lieutenant Sabourin is honored on the Groesbeek Memorial in the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands
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...
. As one of the SOE agents who died for the liberation of France, Lieutenant Sabourin is listed on the "Roll of Honor" on the Valençay SOE Memorial
Valençay SOE Memorial
The Valençay SOE Memorial is a monument to the members of the Special Operations Executive F Section who lost their lives for the liberation of France. The memorial was unveiled in the town of Valençay in the Indre département of France on May 6, 1991, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the...
in the town of Valençay
Valençay
Valençay is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-Geography:Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon.-History:...
, in the Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département.