Memorial Operation Frankton Saint-Coutant

This memorial commemorates Operation Frankton. The text reads:

"OPERATION FRANKTON, December 1942 - On December 19, 1942, at nightfall, three men arrived at the farm of Mr. Armand Dubreuille, located 800 meters from the demarcation line. This early resistance fighter regularly welcomed people who wanted or had to go to the unoccupied zone, in this completely isolated place, mainly civilians, resistance fighters, refugees, Jews, conscientious objectors... The first visitor, Mr. Dumas, was a resistance smuggler; the two men behind him in the shadows were two British soldiers in civilian clothes. Mr. Dubreuille, who was not expecting anyone, was suspicious. One of the strangers stepped forward and said: "I come from Marie-Claire." These few words, spoken with a strong Anglo-Saxon accent, immediately reduced the tension. The smuggler disappeared into the night without a word, and Armand Dubreuille opened his house to the two men. Marie-Claire, alias Mary Lindell, Countess of Milleville, is the organizer of a network linked to MI9, a secret service specialized in helping British soldiers escape. The two unknown persons, the first military hosts of the French resistance fighter whom Mary Lindell had known before the war, are Major H.G. Hasler of the Royal Marines and Marine Bill Sparks, survivors of an extraordinarily daring commando raid on the port of Bordeaux. The danger is extreme for the Dubreuille family, who, if the fugitives are discovered, risk the death penalty. The next day, Armand Dubreuille sends a coded message to Marie Claire, which remains unanswered, since the person in question is in hospital far from Lyon, where she directs the network. More messages follow and on January 29, after an unbearable wait of 41 days, her son Maurice arrives here to pick up the two heroes of Operation Frankton. They return safe and sound to England in early April 1943, thanks to the courage of Armand Dubreuille and other French resistance fighters. Armand Dubreuille remained unaware of the existence of Operation Frankton until the end of the war. He was honoured with an official visit to London and remained a lifelong friend of Lieutenant Colonel 'Blondie' Hasler DSO OBE RM."

Operation Frankton
The Cockleshell Heroes carried out Operation Frankton in December 1942, targeting German shipping in Bordeaux. Trained at Lumps Fort in Portsmouth, they paddled 60 miles (96 km) in collapsible kayaks to lay limpet mines.

Of the ten commandos, two were drowned, six were captured and executed, and only Major Hasler and Marine Sparks escaped. Despite heavy losses, the raid sank two ships and damaged four, disrupting enemy supply lines. Winston Churchill later credited it with shortening the Second World War by six months.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: TracesofWar