Jade-Amicol network facts for kids

The Jade-Amicol network was a secret group of brave people in France who worked against the Nazis during World War II. It was led by a French officer named Claude Arnould and a British officer, Captain Philip Keun. This network was supported by the British Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6. It operated from 1940 until 1944.

How the Jade-Amicol Network Started

After fighting in World War I, Claude Arnould worked as a military helper in Denmark and went on many secret missions. When the Nazis took over France and the war started, he continued his official work.

In October 1940, Arnould met Father Antoine Dieuzayde in Bordeaux. Father Dieuzayde was a chaplain who had helped people escape from Francoist Spain before. He knew many important people in businesses and railways, which was very helpful. With the support of Jesuits (a group of Catholic priests) in southwestern France, Arnould found safe places to stay and important connections.

This helped him become a co-leader of the Jade-Amicol network. The network's main actions were in southwestern France. The name "Jade-Amicol" came from a beautiful stone called jade, the secret name "Amiral" for Philip Keun, and Arnould's own secret name, "Colonel Ollivier."

Philip Keun had French family and joined the French Army. He was captured by the Nazis but bravely escaped from a prison camp in 1941. The network's final structure was set up at the end of 1941. Keun handled all the messages and supplies that went to and from London.

The network worked directly with MI6 because Arnould did not want to join General Charles de Gaulle's Free French forces. The whole network was overseen by Major-General Sir Stewart Menzies, the head of MI6.

Who Joined the Network?

Many people who joined the Jade-Amicol network were from Catholic groups and churches, especially around Bordeaux.

In Paris, the Mother Superior Jean of the Saint-Joseph convent hospital allowed the network to use a chapel as its main office starting in 1942. This convent also helped the first civilians escaping the Nazis and Allied soldiers. The network sent many secret messages between Paris and London by air, and the Nazis never found out about them.

Arnould also involved staff from the Jesuit school Lycée Saint-Joseph-de-Tivoli in Bordeaux. Father de Gorostarzu, a chaplain at the school, helped find new agents. He even involved older students in the resistance.

One of these students was Hélie Denoix de Saint-Marc. Father de Gorostarzu asked him to help Arnould by crossing between the occupied and free parts of France. Hélie carried mail and packages and helped people cross the lines. He later learned that many of his tasks involved weapons.

Another teacher, Father Bégot, also recruited agents. He contacted Josette Lassalle, a resistance member, who then joined the network. By 1944, the Jade-Amicol network had about 1400 agents working for it.

Brave Sacrifices and Losses

Many members of the Jade-Amicol network faced great dangers. Father Louis de Jabrun, a former soldier, joined the resistance and helped prisoners escape. He also sent information through the network. He was arrested in June 1943 and sadly died in Buchenwald concentration camp in December that year.

In December 1943, Arnould was shot during a Nazi attack but managed to escape and hide. He recovered in a clinic. When Keun heard this, he insisted on returning to France to help. He hurt his spine when parachuting back, but he kept working as a messenger despite a doctor's warning.

Keun was captured by the Gestapo on June 29, 1944, and sent to Germany. He was hanged at Buchenwald on September 9, 1944.

In total, the network lost 34 members: 8 were killed in France, and 26 died after being sent to prison camps. This number was relatively small, possibly because the network was very well organized, keeping different parts of it separate so that if one part was caught, the others could continue.

After the War

After France was freed, Father de Gorostarzu and Arnould worked for the Vatican. Arnould went on many diplomatic missions around the world. De Gorostarzu worked to improve relations between Catholics and Jewish people.