Odile de Vasselot
Odile de Vasselot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Odile de Vasselot de Régné 6 January 1922 |
| Died | 21 April 2025 (aged 103) |
| Occupation | French Resistance fighter |
| Known for | Member of the Zero network and the Comet line |
Odile de Vasselot (6 January 1922 – 21 April 2025) was a French resistance fighter.[1][2]
Biography
Odile de Vasselot de Régné was born on 6 January 1922[3] in Saumur.[4] She was the daughter and granddaughter of soldiers.[5] After the German invasion of France in 1940 she became a courier in an underground organisation, the Zero network, and carried Resistance communications.[6] When the Zero network was broken she joined the Comet line (le réseau Comète) and helped to smuggle Allied airmen through occupied Europe to Spain.[7]
After the war, de Vasselot earned a degree in history from the Sorbonne and chose a life of religious commitment and education.[6] In 1947, she joined the Saint-François-Xavier apostolic community (Communauté apostolique Saint-François-Xavier).[6]
From 1959 to 1988, she taught in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where she founded and served as director of the Sainte-Marie secondary school, dedicating three decades to teaching there.[6]
Death
De Vasselot died on 21 April 2025, at the age of 103.[1][6]
Honours and decorations
- Commander of the Legion of Honour[8] (decree of 2021)
- Officer (appointed 1971)[9]
- Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit (elevated by decree of 2024)[10]
- Commander (appointed 1979)
- French Resistance Medal (decree of 1945)[8]
- Knight of the Order of Leopold II (Belgium)
References
- ^ a b Nossiter, Adam (1 May 2025). "Odile de Vasselot, Teenage Aristocrat in the French Resistance, Dies at 103". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "La résistante Odile de Vasselot est morte, à 103 ans". 22 April 2025 – via Le Monde.
- ^ Cordelier, Jérôme (30 December 2021). "Odile de Vasselot : « Je n'ai pas peur de la mort… Mais je ne suis pas pressée »". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 5 January 2022..
- ^ "Odile de Vasselot de Régné | Chemins de mémoire". cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr. Retrieved 8 October 2024..
- ^ Montjou, Guyonne de (3 September 2021). "Odile de Vasselot, agent de liaison". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Le Monde avec AFP (22 April 2025). "La résistante Odile de Vasselot est morte, à 103 ans" [Resistance fighter Odile de Vasselot has died at 103]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Obituary Odile de Vasselot, Resistance heroine". thetimes.com. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ a b c de Montjou, Guyonne (4 September 2021). "Odile de Vasselot, liaison agent". Le Figaro (in French). p. 39.
- ^ "Decree of 8 November 2021 on promotions in the National Order of the Legion of Honour for non-active military personnel" (PDF). legiondhonneur.fr (in French). Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Decree of 7 June 2024 on elevations to the dignities of Grand Cross and Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit". Legifrance (in French). Retrieved 8 June 2024.