Simone Segouin
Segouin in 1944
Born(1925-10-03)3 October 1925
Thivars, France
Died21 February 2023(2023-02-21) (aged 97)
Courville-sur-Eure, France
Other namesNicole Minet
Known forFrench Resistance fighter

Simone Segouin (French: [simɔn səɡwɛ̃]; 3 October 1925 – 21 February 2023), also known by her nom de guerre Nicole Minet (French: [nikɔl minɛ]), was a French Resistance fighter who served in the Francs-tireurs et partisans group during World War II. Among her first acts of resistance was stealing a bicycle from a German patrol, which she then used to help carry messages. She went on to take part in large-scale or otherwise dangerous missions, such as capturing German troops, derailing trains, and acts of sabotage.[1][2]

Early life

Segouin was born on 3 October 1925 in Thivars, a French village near Chartres.[3] She grew up alongside three brothers. Her father had been a decorated soldier during World War I.[4] She attended school until the age of 14, at which point she began to work on the family farm.[5]

The Resistance

In an interview with Jack Belden, published in Life magazine in 1944 under the headline "The Girl Partisan of Chartres", Segouin and "Lieutenant Roland" explained that Segouin's involvement with the Resistance arose after the two met when she was 17. The lieutenant instructed her in the use of a submachine gun and introduced Segouin to other group members.[5] In order to join the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans – communist resistance forces – Segouin obtained false identity papers, which established her as Nicole Minet.[6] These papers identified her as being from the port of Dunkirk, which had been bombed early in the war, making it difficult for Germans to verify their authenticity.[7]

Segouin began by acting as a messenger and carrying out other small jobs, and later became more actively involved after participating in a successful "train-exploding expedition".[5] Lieutenant Roland was Roland Boursier, with whom Segouin went on to have six children.[4] The couple never married, and all of the children bore Segouin's name.[6]

Segouin was present at the liberation of Chartres on 23 August 1944 and the liberation of Paris two days later.[5] Of her role in the Resistance, she said:

I was fighting for the resistance, that's all. If I had to start over, I would, because I have no regrets. The Germans were our enemies, we were French.[4]

Segouin gained international fame when photographs of her by American photographer Robert Capa were published in Life weeks after the capture of 25 German soldiers in which she took part.[4] Belden concluded his piece on her by noting:

I could find no trace of what is conventionally called toughness in Nicole. After routine farm life, she finds her present job thrilling and exhilarating. Now that the war is passing beyond her own home district she does not think of going back to the farm. She wants to go on with the Partisans and help free the rest of France.[5]

Post-war

She received the rank of second lieutenant in 1946, and was awarded the decoration of Croix de Guerre for her service in the Resistance.[6][8] After the war, Segouin became a pediatric nurse in Chartres.[6] A street in Courville-sur-Eure, where she lived, was named for her.[9] In response to the honour, Segouin said, "I'm very glad to know that people are not indifferent to this period of my life."[7] In 2020, the village hall in Thivars was named for Segouin.[10] She was the subject of a French documentary in 2021, broadcast on RMC Découverte.[11] On 14 July 2021, she was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honour, France's highest order of merit.[8]

Segouin died on 21 February 2023, at age 97.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Davison, Phil (22 February 2023). "Simone Segouin, French resistance fighter, dies at 97". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Simone Segouin, the 18 year old French Resistance fighter, 1944 – Rare Historical Photos". Rare Historical Photos. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Les registres paroissiaux et d'état civil". archives28.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "L'incroyable histoire de Simone Segouin, la jeune femme qui a permis l'arrestation de 25 soldats allemands à seulement 18 ans en 1944" [The incredible story of Simone Segouin, the young woman who enabled the arrest of 25 German soldiers at just 18 years old in 1944] (in French). Atlantico.fr. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Belden, Jack (4 September 1944). "The Girl Partisan of Chartres". Life. p. 20. Photographs by Robert Capa.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Montero, Almu (17 November 2015). "Simone Segouin, combatiente en la Resistencia Francesa" ["Simone Segouin, combatiente en la Resistencia Francesa".]. www.naiz.eus (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Girl with a Gun – Simone Segouin". Accidental Talmudist. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. 1 2 Bérard, Marion (14 July 2021). "Simone Ségouin, figure de la Résistance en Eure-et-Loir, nommée chevalier de la Légion d'honneur" [Simone Ségouin, figure of the Resistance in Eure-et-Loir, named Knight of the Legion of Honor]. L'Écho républicain (in French). Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "Proces Verbal de la Seance du Conseil Municipal du 12 Julliet 2011" [Minutes of the Town Council Meeting of 12 July 2011] (PDF) (in French). Commune de Courville sur Eure. 7 December 2011.
  10. ↑ France, Centre (20 January 2020). "Société – Simone Segouin, figure emblématique de la Résistance en Eure-et-Loir donne son nom à la salle des fêtes de Thivars" [Simone Segouin, emblematic figure of the Resistance in Eure-et-Loir, gives her name to the village hall of Thivars]. L'Écho républicain (in French). Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Bonnet, Rémi (28 October 2020). "Un documentaire sur la résistante originaire de Thivars, Simone Ségouin, se prépare" [A documentary on the resistance fighter from Thivars, Simone Ségouin, is being prepared]. L'Écho républicain (in French). Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Couratin, Sébastien (21 February 2023). "Exclusif - Simone Segouin, la dernière résistante d'Eure-et-Loir, s'est éteinte ce mardi matin" [Exclusive - Simone Segouin, the last resistance fighter in Eure-et-Loir, died on Tuesday morning]. L'Écho républicain (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Simone Segouin, French Resistance fighter, dies at 97". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
External image
image icon Simone Segouin, French female partisan/resistance fighter, World War 2. Kodak Kodachrome by George Stevens in 1944.
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