Brittany Resistance Museum

Discussion in 'WW2 Museums. Events, & places to see.' started by Tricky Dicky, Sep 16, 2013.

  1. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Musee de la Resistance Bretonne - www.resistance-bretonne.com

    It is not only a museum for the Breton Resistance, but also covers life for the French under German occupation. It has also become a museum for the French SAS.

    To learn more of the specific battle that took place in and around St Marcel which started on 6th June 1944, then reading 'The Next Moon' by Andre Hue will explain. There is also a section in the museum dedicated to him

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  2. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    TD,

    Many thanks for the Information.

    I just wish I had known about this place last summer when I stayed Close by Lorient for our Summer Holiday.

    Looking at Google maps it is not too far to visit from where I was staying.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  3. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    The St Marcel Museum is indeed worth visiting.First visited it in the early 1980s but since then the museum has been updated and the area has been changed by the uprating and construction of the A 166 as dual carriageway resulting in the memorial being off the main road and not as prominent as before.

    The museum covers the engagement of the French 4th SAS Battalion of Heaven with German forces in extensive detail.Interesting account of the engagement which saw Marienne captured and murdered by the French aided German occupation forces.Pierre Bourgoin,the one armed veteran of the North African campaign who was in overall charge, then took charge of the French FFI forces and led the successful attack against German forces at St Marcel.Quite a character, he had the good sense not to prolong any engagement where the Germans were likely to gain the upper hand.His tactics were such that the Germans were never given the chance of slaughtering his forces, for he quickly had them dispersed.He was a wanted man with the Germans who were forever seeking the one armed man.

    Pierre Bourgoin died about 1971,having served as a Deputy in the French National Assembly and is buried along with his wife who died in recent times, in the cemetery just down the road from St Marcel at Plumelec to the west.Buried below him on the outside of the cemetery wall is Marienne with a memorial to those who fell with him.

    Visited the place in July last year when on holiday at Baud.Paid a return visit to the airfield at Meucon which was used as a Pathfinder base using beam navigation for the raid on Coventry...used to be a main base for French paratrooper training when the military camp at Meucon was open. The Vannes city council are now developing the airfield with parking being laid down at the time of our visit. Intention appears to be of using the airfield to attract budget airlines.The Luftwaffe laid down the concrete runways during the war which were in a good condition many years ago when we used to watch Transalls using the airfield for circuits and bumps.
     
  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    It is about 10Km's from where I live, and I have visited most of the locations talked about by Andre Hue in his book during his time here. It really makes one think about those times and how one would cope under the same circumstances.........


    TD
     
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  7. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Dicky

    Thanks for posting further references on the liberation of Brittany

    Its a pity that Marienne did not survive, his own countrymen being complicit in his murder...didn't know much about his background until I visited the revamped museum in July 2012 and found out much more of him.

    The Citroen lorry model U 23,is it,which was a standard vehicle manufactured by Citroen for the Germans during their occupation is now available for rides on the museum site.If I remember correctly,it used to be a static museum piece.

    There used to be a quite elaborate layout of a street scene,said to be Cherbourg in the old museum.

    The French LRDG section are represented with a good display in the new museum....all common vehicles and equipment as used by the British LRDG.

    Again a most interesting museum to visit which can take a couple of hours and more to appreciate the history covered.
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hello Harry

    Thank you for the comments. I started this thread as there is a problem with the museum building, it may have to be relocated, so I was hoping to 'raise its museum rating' and potentially its numbers of visitors. It has however widen my interest in events here during WW2, hence the latest postings.

    I have visited there on 4 or 5 occasions and still find new discoveries. The last time I was there they were using the halftrack to drive visitors around the museum site and woods. Next time I go I will find out for you re the Citroen

    TD
     
  9. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Some formal details of Andre Hue (SOE Agent)
    • SURNAME
    Hue
    • FORENAME
    Andre Hunter Alfred
    • UNIT
    F Section SOE
    • RANK
    T/Captain
    • NUMBER
    322545
    • AWARD
    Distinguished Service Order,etc
    • PLACE
    France 1944
    • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
    parent unit General List
    born 7.12.1923 Swansea,Glamorganshire
    Welsh mother,French father
    educated Le Havre
    French Merchant Marine 1937-40 (trainee purser)
    French Resistance 1940-44
    SOE February 1944-45
    codename Fernand
    attached French SAS party 1944
    Gondolier Circuit 1944
    Hillbilly Circuit (organiser)
    Force 136 SOE 1945 (Major)
    Chevalier,Legion d'Honneur (France) 1946
    Croix de Guerre avec Palm (France) 1946
    served Palestine,Cyprus and Cambodia postwar
    SIS (MI6) on leaving Army until 1967
    married Maureen Taylor 1957 (1 daughter)
    died 11.1.2004 (or 11.1.2005)
     
  10. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    An update on the Museum:

    It is reported in the local papers yesterday, the museum is to be granted funds to sort out the buildings problems, initially a 60,000 euro project to ascertain the extent of the problems and then the possibility of up to 2,500,000 euros to renovate/repair. The funding will be provided from local, regional and national sources.
    It also appears that the Chief of the museum from St Cyr Coetquidan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecole_Sp%C3%A9ciale_Militaire_de_Saint-Cyr also worth a visit if you are in the vicinity) will be involved in this project, as he has been involved in other military musems.

    TD
     
  11. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Once took the opportunity of visiting the French Army Museum at St Cyr Coetquidan a long time ago and found it shut,it was in a early November but it was not on All Saints Day or Armistice Day,both of which are Public Holidays..it must have been seasonal closing...should have checked the opening times but it was before the days of the internet...we were on our way to Normoutier and made a special diversion off the Rennes bypass to visit it.

    St Cyr Coedquidan is an historical army base with a large training area attached to it although I have never explored its perimeter.

    Pleased to hear that the St Marcel French Resistance Museum is being maintained with a grant......seems to me that the French local government organisations are more effective than those in the UK.Looking at projects of this nature in France, there always is displayed, an indication of where the funding is coming from.
     
  12. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Harry

    Its a problem here that many museums etc do have a peculiar timetable of opening, more often than not July and August they are open all day, outside of that they normally reduce the opening hours, presumably as not many people are travelling around freely, or at leisure.

    Yes, it is just off the N24 Rennes to L'orient autoroute, very near to King Arthurs Castle and Merlins tomb - this may throw up a few eyebrows.

    Although the wheels may take a while and every i must be dotted and t crossed, they usually do the right thing.

    TD
     

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