Yvon Morandat facts for kids
Yvon Morandat (born December 25, 1913, in Buellas – died December 8, 1972) was an important French leader. He was a trade union leader, a brave member of the French Resistance during World War II, and later a politician. He used different secret names like "Léo," "Mareuil," and "Arnolphe" when he was working secretly against the enemy.
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Early Life and Union Work
Yvon Morandat grew up in a farming family in Ain, France. After finishing primary school, he worked on a farm. He was very active in a group for young Catholic farmers. Later, he left the farm to work in a hardware store in Buellas. He then became a salesman in a department store in Chambéry. All this time, he was a strong supporter of trade unions. Trade unions are groups that work to protect the rights and improve the working conditions of employees. In 1937, he became the main leader of the Christian unions in Savoy.
Fighting in World War II
When World War II started in 1939, Yvon Morandat was a soldier in a mountain unit called Chasseurs Alpins. He bravely volunteered for a mission in Norway in 1940. When he returned, he fought in Brittany, France. On June 18, 1940, he was evacuated to England, just before France signed an agreement with Nazi Germany.
Joining the Free French Forces
In England, he joined the Free France forces, which were led by Charles de Gaulle. General de Gaulle wanted Yvon to broadcast messages on the radio. But Yvon wanted to keep fighting directly. So, de Gaulle asked him to go back to France. His mission was to connect with the new groups forming the French Resistance. The French Resistance was a secret movement of people fighting against the Nazi occupation of France.
Secret Missions in France
After getting special training in Scotland, Yvon Morandat was parachuted into France on November 6, 1941. He landed near Toulouse. He quickly started contacting trade union leaders in different cities like Marseille, Clermont-Ferrand, and Lyon. He was preparing the way for a very important resistance leader named Jean Moulin. Yvon met Jean Moulin in January 1942.
Yvon continued to build important connections between different union and political groups. He helped start the Libération movement. This was a major resistance group. He also helped print a secret newspaper called Le Populaire. Yvon was a key member of the Libération group. He found safe places for planes to drop supplies and people. He also had the idea for a special information office, which Jean Moulin then created. Yvon was doing such important work that he was sentenced to death by the enemy while he was away. He was called back to London in November 1942. His wife, Claire, fully supported him in all his dangerous work.
Return to France and Liberation
In May 1943, Yvon joined the Free French Air Forces. He became a lieutenant. He was later chosen as the youngest member of the Provisional Consultative Assembly in Algiers. This was a temporary government for France. Yvon wanted to return to France to continue fighting. On January 29, 1944, using the secret name "Arnolphe," he parachuted back into Drôme.
He continued to work with resistance leaders. He helped prepare plans for what would happen after the Allied landing in France. During the Liberation of Paris, Yvon and his wife arrived at the Hôtel de Matignon (a famous government building) on bicycles. They claimed the building for the new Provisional Government of France. This was a very symbolic moment.
After the War
After the war, in 1944, Yvon Morandat started a news agency called l'Agence Européenne de Presse. He managed it until 1947. He also helped create a political party called the Rally of the French People. He was active in other political groups too.
In 1947, he started working for Charbonnages de France, which was the French national coal board. He became the head of their press service. Later, he became the chairman of the board for coal mines in Provence in 1959. In 1963, he held the same role in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. From May to July 1968, he served as the Secretary of State for Social Affairs in the government. In 1969, he became the chairman of the entire Charbonnages de France board.
Yvon Morandat also became a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He was also part of the Cours des Comptes, which checks government spending. He led the French branch of an international charity called SOS Villages d'enfants. He also chaired the Maison Internationale des Jeunes (International House of Youth).
Yvon Morandat passed away in Marseille on December 8, 1972. He was buried in Ventabren.
Awards and Legacy
Yvon Morandat received many important awards for his bravery and service:
- He became a companion of the Order of Liberation in July 1945.
- He received the Croix de Guerre.
- He was awarded the Légion d'Honneur.
- He also received the Ordre national du Mérite and the Médaille de la Résistance.
- He received the Croix de guerre (Belgium) from Belgium.
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the United Kingdom.
- He was also an Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) from Belgium.
To remember him, a square in Paris, in the 17th arrondissement, is named Place Yvon Et Claire Morandat. There is also a school called Collège Yvon Morandat in Saint-Denis-lès-Bourg. A former coal mine in Gardanne, which is now a project for heating homes using heat from the earth, is also named after him.
Yvon Morandat was even played by the famous actor Jean-Paul Belmondo in the 1968 film Is Paris Burning?. This movie was about the liberation of Paris. His wife, Claire Morandat, was played by Marie Versini.
