Da Rif, Emile

Date of birth:: October 10th, 1914 (Falcade, Italy)
Date of death:: May 12th, 1943 (Enfidaville, Tunesia)
Nationality:: French (1870-present, Republic)

Biography

Arrived in France at the age of six, seventh in a family of nine children, he lived in Cernay in the Haut Rhin until 1933.

On this date, he enlisted in the Foreign Legion for five years, after having worked as a mason's assistant in the Alps (in 1931) and in Isère (in 1932).

Promoted to corporal in January 1935, he served in the 1st company of the 4th REI in Morocco from 1934 to 1937. In 1938, Emile Da Rif renewed his engagement, this time for ten years, and was promoted to sergeant in September 1939.

He joined the 13th Marching Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion with which he took part in the "Norway" expedition and in the battles of Bjervik and Narvik in May and June 1940 for which he received a citation.

Repatriated to Great Britain with the entire expeditionary force, he made the choice to continue the war and enlisted on July 1, 1940 in the Free French Forces of General de Gaulle, under the name of Emile Degand.

Promoted to sergeant-chief, he participated, with the 13th Demi-brigade of the Foreign Legion (13th DBLE), in the Dakar operation at the end of September 1940 then in the campaigns of Eritrea (fights of Keren and Massaoua) and of Syria in 1941.

Adjutant in October 1941, he then took part, within General Koenig's 1st Brigade, in the Libyan campaign. Section chief at the 6th company of the 2nd Battalion of the 13th DBLE, he distinguished himself during the resistance of Bir-Hakeim (Libya).

Wounded by grenade shrapnel at Himeimat (El Alamein) in Egypt on October 24, 1942, he nevertheless retained his command until the end of the action.

At the end of the Tunisian campaign, Warrant Officer Degand was fatally struck by a large caliber shell, ten kilometers west of Enfidaville, on May 12, 1943 in the early morning. He was buried in the Takrouna cemetery in Tunisia.

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