Birth: 4 juin 1898
Death: 5 janvier 1971
Companion of the Liberation – Decree of 11 August 1945
She was 16 in October 1914 when the Imperial Army occupied her village of Loos-en-Gohelle in Pas-de-Calais. When the British counterattacked in September 1915, she provided Scotland’s 9th Black Watch with information about the enemy positions, enabling them to attack the Germans from the rear. The family home was turned into a makeshift hospital and the young woman joined in the battle. Armed with grenades, she attacked the enemy and shot down two German infantrymen with a revolver. Decorated with the Croix de Guerre and the British Military Medal, she was a guest of President Poincaré at the Élysée. Her portrait was printed on postcards, Le Petit Parisien published her story, the Imagerie d’Epinal printworks exalted her courage, and the British even compared her to Joan of Arc. She was 17 years old. The legend of “the heroine of Loos” was born.
She joined the Resistance at the end of 1940 and became a liaison agent in Lyon before heading to London in July 1944 to avoid arrest.
Credits: Émilienne Moreau in 1916. © Musée de l’ordre de la Libération
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