Hubert Germain
Hubert Germain | |
---|---|
Born | Paris, France | 6 August 1920
Died | 12 October 2021 Paris | (aged 101)
Nationality | French |
Occupation(s) | Resistance fighter Politician |
Hubert Germain (6 August 1920 – 12 October 2021) was a French politician who was a member of the French Resistance during World War II. He was the last living Companion of the Order of Liberation.
Biography
Germain was born on 6 August 1920 in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.[1] He was the son of General Maxime Germain. He joined the Free French Forces, and in 1942 saw action at the Battle of Bir Hakeim and the Battle of El Alamein. In early 1944 he was wounded in Italy. After his recovery he took part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied landing in Provence.[2] Germain was appointed a Companion of the Order of Liberation on 22 November 1944.[1] He remained in the French occupation army in Germany until 1946.
After the war, he served as mayor of Saint-Chéron between 1953 and 1965. He was deputy for Paris's 14th constituency from 1962 to 1967, from 1968 to 1972, and in 1973.[3] He served in Pierre Messmer's government as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. He married Simone Millon in 1945, having 3 children.
After the death of Daniel Cordier on 20 November 2020, Germain became the last surviving Companion of the Order of Liberation.[4][5] On 25 November 2020, he was appointed Honorary Chancellor of the Order of Liberation.[6]
Germain died in Paris on 12 October 2021 at the age of 101.[7] His funeral was held on 11 November 2021 (Remembrance Day), starting with a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe.[8] He has been buried in the crypt of the Mémorial de la France combattante, where vault 9 was reserved for the last living Companion of the Liberation since the post-war years.
Honours
- Companion of the Order of Liberation
- Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (2017).
- Croix de Guerre 1939–1945, with palms[1]
- Resistance Medal with rosette.[1]
- Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (2020)[9]
See also
- Lazare Ponticelli (last living French veteran of World War I)
References
- ^ a b c d "Hubert Germain". ordredelaliberation.fr. Retrieved 26 November 2020..
- ^ "Hubert Germain obituary". The Times. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ "Hubert Germain" (in French). National Assembly. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ Philippe-Jean Catinchi (20 November 2020). "L'ancien résistant Daniel Cordier, secrétaire de Jean Moulin pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, est mort". lemonde.fr (in French). Retrieved 20 November 2020..
- ^ AFP, Le Figaro avec (5 November 2020). "Décès de l'un des trois derniers compagnons de la Libération, Pierre Simonet". Le Figaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 November 2020..
- ^ Décret du 25 novembre 2020 portant nomination du chancelier d'honneur de l'Ordre de la Libération.
- ^ "Hubert Germain, last of elite group of French resistance fighters, dies". The Guardian. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Mort d'Hubert Germain : une cérémonie aux Invalides vendredi puis le 11 novembre à l'Arc de Triomphe avant l'inhumation au Mont Valérien". LCI. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ "Honorary Awards". Gov.UK. 2020.
- 1920 births
- 2021 deaths
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)
- Politicians from Paris
- Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
- French Ministers of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
- French Resistance members
- Companions of the Liberation
- Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
- Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Gaullists
- French Army officers
- French centenarians
- Men centenarians
- Free French military personnel of World War II
- Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
- Deputies of the 4th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic
- Mayors of places in Île-de-France
- Union for the New Republic politicians