Huguette Verhague

In this modest house, living alone with her mother, Huguette Verhaguein 1944 took in Allied airmen shot down in the Lyons-la-Forêt area. Huguette being a member of the ORAand the FFI, local resistance fighters would bring these soldiers, often collected in the forest, to her.
24 airmen were rescued in the area in July and August 1944 Huguette hid 7 of them: Philip Hemmens (rescued from the Villenaise bomber), Donald Leslie, Reginald Joyce, Douglas Eagle, Ronald Leverington, all from the R.A.F, Nixon(Canadian captain) and Theodore Baskett (American lieutenant).
His command of English and German enabled him to distract the occupying troops and communicate well with the allies. Sergeant Leverington reported that to find the airmen, Huguette would sing "yankee doodle dandys" during the day in the forest when an American plane had gone down and "It's a long way to tiperrary" if it was an English one (more at night).
The cache was in the attic above the chicken coop. A rope connected the clothesline to a tin can in the attic, enabling Huguette to alert the airmen to the arrival of Germans, giving them a direct exit to the forest for safety.
On August 7, 1944, 5 airmen were transferred to Paris by a false smuggler, to be handed over to the gestapo and then deported to Buchenwald. Sergeant Hemmens lost his life there in October 1944.
Huguette Verhague continued her commitment after the Liberation within the amicale de I'ORA and by helping a family of those shot. She received a certificate of recognition from the British Army for her assistance to Commonwealth airmen. Since 1961, she has been laid to rest in the Lisors cemetery.

Photo credit and contribution Christine Guillon

In this modest house, living alone with her mother, Huguette Verhaguein 1944 took in Allied airmen shot down in the Lyons-la-Forêt area. Huguette being a member of the ORAand the FFI, local resistance fighters would bring these soldiers, often collected in the forest, to her. 24 airmen were rescued in the area in July and August 1944 Huguette hid 7 of them: Philip Hemmens (rescued from the Villenaise bomber), Donald Leslie, Reginald Joyce, Douglas Eagle, Ronald Leverington, all from the R.A.F, Nixon(Canadian captain) and Theodore Baskett (American lieutenant). His command of English and German enabled him to distract the occupying troops and communicate well with the allies. Sergeant Leverington reported that to find the airmen, Huguette would sing yankee doodle dandys during the day in the forest when an American plane had gone down and It's a long way to tiperrary if it was an English one (more at night). The cache was in the attic above the chicken coop. A rope connected the clothesline to a tin can in the attic, enabling Huguette to alert the airmen to the arrival of Germans, giving them a direct exit to the forest for safety. On August 7, 1944, 5 airmen were transferred to Paris by a false smuggler, to be handed over to the gestapo and then deported to Buchenwald. Sergeant Hemmens lost his life there in October 1944. Huguette Verhague continued her commitment after the Liberation within the amicale de I'ORA and by helping a family of those shot. She received a certificate of recognition from the British Army for her assistance to Commonwealth airmen. Since 1961, she has been laid to rest in the Lisors cemetery.Photo credit and contribution Christine Guillon