Date of birth:

December 11th, 1914 (Dives-sur-Mer, France)

Date of death:

May 26th, 1980 (Fréjus, France)

Nationality:

French (1870-present, Republic)

Raphaël Briard was born on December 11, 1914 in Dives-sur-Mer in Calvados to a mason father. He joined the army in 1933 serving in the colonial troops. Sent to Africa, he served as a camel rider in the French Saharan units.

At the time of the armistice of June 22, 1940, he was stationed at Fort-Lamy in Chad in the ranks of the nomadic group of Borkou with the rank of "sergent-chef". Having heard General de Gaulle's call, he decided to continue the fight and joined Nigeria, a British colony, with several comrades. Assigned for a month to the Nigeria Regiment of the British army, he then enlisted in the Free French forces and was transferred to the March Battalion No. 4 with which he participated in the rallying of Cameroon and the Gabon campaign. He was then transferred to the Régiment de Tirailleurs Sénégalais du Tchad (RTST) with which he participated in the battle of Koufra during which he was seriously wounded by bullet on February 18, 1941. Promoted to "adjudant" during his convalescence, he returned to his unit in April. From February 1942 to May 1943, he took part in the campaigns of Fezzan and Tripolitania.

From November 1942 to May 1943, he participated in the Tunisian campaign, after which he was promoted to "adjudant-chef". In the summer of 1943, during the formation of the 2e Division Blindée (2nd Armored Division) to which it was subordinated, the RTST became the Régiment de Marche du Tchad (RMT) in which Raphaël Briard was assigned to the 1st Battalion. Transferred to England in April 1944, he landed in August on the beaches of his native Normandy. He therefore participated in the course of the 2e Division Blindée, from the Battle of Normandy to the invasion of Germany, including the Liberation of Paris and the Alsace campaign. Promoted to "sous-lieutenant" (second lieutenant), the end the war saw him at Berchtesgaden.

Continuing his military career, he took part to the Indochina War before retiring in 1958 with the rank of captain. He then became regional director of a technical-commercial company.

Raphaël Briard died on May 26, 1980 in Fréjus and was buried in Saint-Raphaël

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• - Raphaël BRIARD | L'Ordre de la Libération et son Musée