.... A PICTURE STORY.
The sub-prefect LESP original photo taken in 1944 in Clermont-Ferrand. (Coll.J.Cornieux)
A Chance u my research, I have a day of July 2007, bought a vintage photograph, depicting a dashing sub-prefect, a curious and touching dedication written in one hand scrapie, is:
Jacques LESP Subprefect Bonneville, who died for France and for his ideal: Safeguarding the French Union.
Shot by Germans June 15, 1944 in Annecy.
jouyeux In memory of his aunt and loving Valentine.
This banal picture of the 40s, was taken to Clermont-Ferrand-studio Lefièvre Couton suddenly has another dimension ...
A detail gives me an approximate date for this picture, cap decorated with the insignia worn a rare from the June 1942 ... Francisco!
Francisco The effect is the emblem of the new regime in place since 1940, so this picture is between June 42 and end 44.
Who is Jacques Lespes? I want to know more about who is the sub-prefect killed by the Germans, why and under what circumstances .... queries fly.
Painstakingly I seek, I peruse my records, my books, internet and I find J. Lespes that actually was shot by the Germans June 15, 1944 in the courtyard of the barracks of Annecy, for having given the order to a group (GMR group's mobile reserve for the order of the Vichy regime) of to disarm the Resistance to the German autirités is an insult, we must make an example.
The pattern of accusation is: "This is the first high civilian official who gave the order to disarm the Resistance."
Without trial, the verdict will be final, however: Death!
Lespes Jacques, died the evening of June 15, 1944 at the age of 33 years under the German bullets.
I put this treasured photo in my archives, time passes ...
November 2009, I surf the internet, as so often, to find a new piece for my collection, nothing ... and suddenly I notice the list of pages that appears, a book title that makes me jump:
Marguerite Cecile
JACQUES LESP
Preface by François MAURIAC
1948
A utant tell you that I buy this book on the field.
Marguerite Cecilia is the mother of J. Lespes she dedicates this book to both children (brothers J. Lespes).
It is the direct witness of the tragedy, since she was at her son's side until the day before his execution in June 44.
I'm not going to explain here, the complete story, but just the portion related to the picture presented.
The reason this picture was taken in Clermont-Ferrand is well described in the book: In an unexpected, in March 1940, a cousin named commissary Regional Business economic Clermont-Ferrand and the latter moved to J. LEPES to take him as chief of staff.
Time passes, and in February 1944, provides a LESP J. post of general secretary to the Prefecture of Tarbes; He accepted this promotion, but suddenly theater, a bungling the Department, the Official Gazette appoint the Sub-prefect of Haute-Savoie Bonneville!
He finally accepted the position;
He finally accepted the position;
One paragraph of the book quotes:
" March 11, he returned to Clermont-Ferrand, to put its house in order and take delivery of his costume sub-prefect An hour before going to the station, he sold I wish: I want to have his photograph in this beautiful uniformequ'il crânerie.Pour door with so much to please me he went to a photographer, then we accompany him to the station his father and me. .. " ; ;
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The photo published in the book of 1948
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V this picture ... his is the last of J. LESP was taken March 11, 1944 in Clermont-Ferrand in the circumstances described in dessus.Il will I shot some more later, June 15, for having ordered a group of GMR The order to disarm before a group of resistance fighters, when he went to Chambery, on the orders of the Prefect, to shelter.
Informed of this fact, he was arrested the same evening in Annecy by the Gestapo.
; ***********************
September 21, 1945, the Minister of TIXIER interior, at the request of General de Gaulle, quoted in J. LESP around the nation with the award of the Croix de Guerre posthumously.
On 2 January 1946 a new decree, appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honor posthumously.
On 13 October 1946, at the request of G. BIDAULT (Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Republic), E. Michelet, Armed Forces Minister, give it the Medal of the French Resistance.
On 16 November 1946, he was awarded the Gold Cross of Honour for Bravery and Strength of Riflemen of the Free Résistance.
In the hall of the Prefecture of Haute-Savoie, a plaque listing the names of JACQUES LESP.
A through this article I will share with you the emotion when I come to know and deconstruct the history of an object ... These stories are often poignant because the objects I own, have belonged to men who participated in the History, that of France through the ages;
Soon, February 17, 2010, the Corps will celebrate its 210 Prefectural years of existence ... 210 years of adventures in which, the most troubled periods that others have shaped our country.
The paths of these senior officials are often glorious, and sometimes as here, the ultimate sacrifice! Some have paid with their lives for an ideal ...
Much is the duty of memory, collectors are often the custodians of that memory. After us ... we will survive our collections, these objects does not really belongs, we do are the temporary guardians, but that we have the burden to keep them, make them "talk" and get them out of oblivion.
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