Guy Môquet facts for kids
Guy Prosper Eustache Môquet (born April 26, 1924 – died October 22, 1941) was a young French Communist activist. During World War II, when Germany occupied France, he was taken by the Nazis. He was executed by a firing squad in Châteaubriant. This happened because the French Resistance had attacked Germans. Guy Môquet became a symbol of the Resistance. He wrote a farewell letter to his family when he was 17. This letter is now read in all French high schools.
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Guy Môquet's Life Story
Guy Prosper Eustache Môquet was born in Paris on April 26, 1924. He went to Lycée Carnot school. He also joined the Communist Youth Movement. This group believed in a society where everyone is equal.
After the Germans took over Paris, a new French government called Vichy was set up. On October 13, 1940, Guy was reported to the police. He was arrested at the Gare de l'Est metro station. French police officers from the Anti-Communist Special Brigade arrested him. He had a poem with him about friends who had been arrested. The poem talked about fighting for a better society.
[…]
"The traitors of our country
These agents of capitalism
We will drive them away
In order to establish socialism
[…]
To get you out of jail
To kill capitalism"
[…]
Guy was first held in Fresnes Prison. Then he was moved to Clairvaux. Later, he was sent to a camp in Châteaubriant. Many other Communist activists were held there too.
The Execution of Hostages
On October 20, 1941, a German officer named Karl Hotz was killed. Three Communist resistance fighters carried out this attack. In response, the French Interior Minister, Pierre Pucheu, decided to offer Communist prisoners as hostages. He wanted to prevent 50 other French people from being shot.
He chose 18 prisoners from Nantes, 27 from Châteaubriant, and 5 from Paris. Two days later, on October 22, the 27 prisoners at Châteaubriant were shot. They were divided into three groups. They refused to wear blindfolds. They died shouting "Vive la France" ("Long live France"). Guy Môquet, who was the youngest, was executed at 4 p.m. He was only 17 years old.
Before he was shot, Guy Môquet wrote a letter to his parents. This letter became very famous. Guy's younger brother, Serge, was 12 years old. He was very sad about Guy's death. Serge died just a few days later.
Guy Môquet's Lasting Impact
Guy Môquet was arrested for spreading anti-war messages. Later, fighting back against the Nazis became the main way to resist. The French Communist Party became a leader in the French resistance. Guy Môquet was honored as a hero. His last letter, written before his execution, made him even more famous.
For many years after the war, France remembered this ideal. The Communist Party was often called the "party of the 75,000 executed people." In 1946, a street and a metro station in Paris were named after him. Many other places in France also carry his name. Châteaubriant, where he died, named a high school after him.
The poet Louis Aragon wrote a poem called "La rose et le réséda" for Guy Môquet. It also honored three other resistance fighters. The poem included the line "Celui qui croyait au Ciel / Celui qui n’y croyait pas." This meant those who believed in heaven and those who did not. It showed that people from different beliefs fought together for justice.
Guy Môquet's story has also been told in films. He was in a short French film called "La lettre" (The letter) in 2007. Jean-Baptiste Maunier played Guy. He was also a main character in the 2011 film Calm at Sea. This movie showed the events leading up to the hostages' execution. Léo-Paul Salmain played Guy Môquet in this film.
Guy's Last Letter to His Family
" My darling Mummy, my adored brother, my much loved Daddy, I am going to die! What I ask of you, especially you Mummy, is to be brave. I am, and I want to be, as brave as all those who have gone before me. Of course, I would have preferred to live. But what I wish with all my heart is that my death serves a purpose. I didn’t have time to embrace Jean. I embraced my two brothers Roger and Rino (1). As for my real brother, I cannot embrace him, alas! I hope all my clothes will be sent back to you. They might be of use to Serge, I trust he will be proud to wear them one day. To you, my Daddy to whom I have given many worries, as well as to my Mummy, I say goodbye for the last time. Know that I did my best to follow the path that you laid out for me. A last adieu to all my friends, to my brother whom I love very much. May he study hard to become a man later on. Seventeen and a half years, my life has been short, I have no regrets, if only that of leaving you all. I am going to die with Tintin, Michels. Mummy, what I ask you, what I want you to promise me, is to be brave and to overcome your sorrow. I cannot put any more. I am leaving you all, Mummy, Serge, Daddy, I embrace you with all my child’s heart. Be brave! Your Guy who loves you. "
(1) His brothers in arms (meaning his fellow resistance fighters)
