Date of birth:

April 25th, 1919 (Blainville-sur-l'Eau, France)

Date of death:

September 23rd, 1940 (Dakar, Senegal)

Nationality:

French (1870-present, Republic)

After brilliant studies at the Lycée Poincaré in Nancy, he was admitted to the Naval School. Eager to fight, he enlisted for the duration of the war on September 2, 1939 in Epinal. Trained at the Fontainebleau artillery school, he joined the Navy in January 1940 to serve at the apprentice sailor school (the foam school) on Armorique in Brest. On the arrival of the Germans on June 18, 1940, he was evacuated to England on the battleship Paris with all the students.

Enlisted in the Free French Naval Forces (FNFL), he was appointed midshipman on July 1, 1940.

On August 31, 1940, he embarked in Liverpool aboard the Aviso Commandant Duboc which was heading for Dakar. On September 20, 1940, he was promoted to the rank of second class ensign.

On September 23, 1940, the Free French were in front of Dakar to try to convince the AOF to return to war with Free France and the British.

Commander Thierry d'Argenlieu and Captain Jean Bécourt-Foch went ashore to negotiate with the Vichy forces and the worst happened: machine guns were fired from the coast at the members of parliament, injuring Thierry d'Argenlieu.

The coastal batteries fire on the fleet, shells fall on Commander Duboc, and Ensign Crémel is fatally wounded at his combat post.

He was promoted posthumously to the rank of Second Class Ensign on January 1, 1941.

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• - Robert CRÉMEL | L'Ordre de la Libération et son Musée