Marshal Pétain in Grenoble on 19 March 1941 (Grenoble 40-44, Pierre Giolitto, published by Perrin).

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”A school unlike any other”
Vichy and the occupiers

Vichy and the occupiers

Chapters

1. Before
2. Origins
3. The participants
4. Daily life
5. ”A school unlike any other”
6. Fighting
7. Twilight
8. The aftermath
9. Today

Faced with this school that was very clear about its goals, the Vichy regime’s attitude was twofold. The school was closely monitored and the occupying forces’ directives were applied without hesitation by the administration, yet there was complicity at the highest level.

The Polish high school could not have been created without the agreement of the French authorities. Zygmunt Lubicz-Zaleski, through his political responsibilities, had numerous high-level contacts. He obtained their support. Over the years, in the face of pressure from the Vichy regime and the occupying forces, this support was unfailing.

5.4.1 “His administrative protection was invaluable to us.”

Louis Terracher, Doctor of Letters, Director of Secondary Education and then General Secretary for Public Education. On 2 January 1944, under pressure from the occupying forces, the Vichy government relieved him of all his duties (Public domain).

—Zygmunt Lubicz-Zaleski, headmaster. Memoirs 1939-1945. From Grotowice to Buchenwald, 2002, based on Pamietnik 1939-1945. Od Grotowic do Buchenwaldu, 1998.

19 September 1940. I ‘ve been in Vichy since yesterday morning. I went straight to the Ministry of Education where an unpleasant surprise awaited me. Châtelet has been relieved of his duties as Director of Secondary Education. Rector Terrachet is replacing him. The change itself will have no impact. They are both men of great value. Except that Terrachet is not due to arrive for another eight days! I explained the Polish high school situation to Mr Bruhat, the Inspector General. I had a good impression of him. I could not reach the Secretary General, Jacques Chevalier, but Bruhat promised to do his best to resolve the matter of the Polish high school and the possibility for our young people attending French high schools. We exchanged a few thoughts on defeat and… hope. We tend to speak in innuendo, but understand each other perfectly. Rosset, the Director of Higher Education, does not use innuendo at all! “The war is not over!” he exclaimed with restrained anger. Rosset clearly supports us and is genuinely in favour of young Poles being able to enrol in French high schools. He is obviously not certain of the decision in the higher circles (because of foreign pressure).

My visit the Director General of Technical Education, Mr Luc, was truly moving. We shook hands on arrival and embraced on departure… As for allowing our young people to enter French high schools, Luc was categorical: “Yes, of course, yes”. He proposes to address the issue officially: the Minister of Education, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the government, an official decision, etc. When I explained to him that in the current circumstances this procedure could lead to a refusal, he immediately agreed and took full responsibility within the scope of his powers. I am sorry I do not remember the name of the head of Department of Secondary Schools: I did not accept any material help from him, but his administrative protection was invaluable to us.

5.4.2 “Discreet surveillance continues to be carried out.”

The Hôtel de la Poste in Voiron welcomes around a hundred Polish refugees (Public domain).

—Report No. 495 of 6 December 1940 from the General Directorate of National Security, Directorate of Territorial Police and Foreigners, 7th Bureau.

In a dispatch dated 4 November, you kindly asked me to check whether the activities of the Polish Red Cross, based in the Department ‘s reception centres, were not accompanied by undercover efforts aimed at organizing departures for England.

I have the honour of informing you that, as a result of the enquiries I have made, the Polish organisations have just rented the Hôtel du Parc building in Villard-de-Lans (Isère) where, since 18 October 1940, a high school and junior high school have been established for the use of Polish students who were unable to complete their studies… The school currently has around 125 students aged between 10 and 19, 12 teachers and a staff of around 150 Polish nationals and two French teachers. Its management and administration are ensured by Mr Godlewski Winceslaw, a former lecturer in Polish literature at the Lille faculty, who is fulfilling the same functions at the faculty in Grenoble.

The Polish organisations in the free zone have a committee based at the Hôtel Terminus and at the Grand Hôtel in Grenoble, where medical and pharmacy students were accommodated. Other groups operate in Voiron, Lans, Bourg-d ‘Oisans and Uriage in the Isère department. For example, since 17 October 1940, around a hundred Polish refugees have been living in the Hôtel de la Poste in Voiron; the building has been rented by the Polish Red Cross in the name of its departmental director, Mr Bobrowski, who is staying at the Grand Hôtel in Grenoble.

Discreet surveillance continues to be carried out with regard to the directors and residents of the reception centres organised by the Polish Red Cross, in order to detect whether the charitable nature of these centres is not being accompanied by actions serving foreign interests.

5.4.3 “The school was more than suspicious in the eyes of the occupiers.”

The unoccupied zone before the German invasion (Grenoble 40-44, Pierre Giolitto, published by Perrin).

—Tadeusz Łepkowski, student. A free Polish school in occupied France (2012), based on Wolna szkoła polska w okupowanej francji (1990).

From November 1940, the Vichy authorities placed the establishment under close police surveillance. The main aim was to prevent students from escaping to England and to prevent “recruitment for the benefit of foreign countries” . At the end of 1940 and the beginning of 1941, when the characters in the Nativity scene were represented by soldiers carrying real weapons, the police intervened to demand that the performance take place unarmed; they also made no secret of the fact that they were seeking to gather evidence to justify the closure of the establishment.

All the student trips, and almost all their movements, even over short distances, were closely monitored. Some of the students, who were former soldiers, had to report to the Villard police station every fortnight. The high school ‘s French accountant was probably acting as an informer for the authorities. (Editor ‘s note: He was shot by partisans during the Battle of Vercors “for his hostility to the Resistance” ).

The entry of the German army into the free zone at the end of 1942 marked a turning point. The high school was more than suspicious in the eyes of the occupying forces, who insisted that no student over the age of 17 should be admitted. The school could no longer take in former soldiers who were likely to join the Resistance in France or abroad.

5.4.4 “Do not hesitate to call upon my friendship.”

Office of the Polish Administration in Lyon, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Letter to Wacław Godlewski (Association Mémoire du lycée polonais - Polish High School Memorial Association).

—Office of the Polish Administration in Lyon, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Illegible signature.

Letter to Wacław Godlewski, deputy to the President of the GAPF. 1 July 1942.

My memories of my tour are extremely pleasant and I have unreserved admiration for what you have managed to create so successfully in the most difficult of circumstances. These efforts and perseverance will not be wasted, I became convinced of this during my stops in Grenoble, Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains and Villard-de-Lans. Everywhere I felt the generous heart of your country beating and the invincible soul of Poland and its confidence in the future shining in the eyes of your nationals… So do not hesitate to call upon my friendship; it will be a great pleasure for me to help you accomplish your programme.

Wacław Godlewski replies…

The Minister, Dear Sir, I would like to thank you most sincerely for your fine, encouraging letter. I am pleased that your friendly assessment includes all our staff, because if we ‘ve been able to achieve anything at Villard, it ‘s thanks to everyone ‘s goodwill and collective efforts. At this difficult time for us, your words are a source of support, strength and hope for a better future.

5.3Relations with ViIlardians

Fighting6.0