A Descartes Memorial

There's a plaque in Descartes, in a slightly out of the way car park, that we have noticed, but never stopped to read.

In the 1930s, André Goupille was a veterinarian living with his family in La Haye-Descartes (now Descartes). When France was divided during the Second World War, the German demarcation line passed close to their home. Because of his profession, André held a permanent pass allowing him to cross the line. From 1940 onward, he organized a clandestine network to help people cross, involving his wife Jeanne, their four teenage children, and their housekeeper, Odette Metais. Together, they assisted approximately 2,000 individuals, including Jews fleeing persecution, escaped prisoners of war, Allied pilots, and members of the Resistance. They also transported messages and intelligence to London and sometimes sheltered refugees for several days.

Their courage is documented by letters of gratitude from those they helped, including Jewish refugees who had escaped from Drancy. In January 1942, André was arrested for carrying incriminating documents but managed to secure his release by claiming they were linked to black-market activities. He then continued his work from the southern zone, joined later by Jeanne. After the German invasion of the southern zone, their resistance activities expanded to include receiving parachute drops.

In February 1944, the entire group was arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. Remarkably, all survived. In 2000, Yad Vashem honored André and Jeanne Goupille, their children, and Odette Metais as Righteous Among the Nations.

Pierre and Denise Renard also lived in La Haye-Descartes during the Second World War. Pierre was involved in the French Resistance and helped escaped prisoners of war and downed Allied airmen cross into the southern zone. His actions expanded when a local hotel owner informed him that the Freudman family, Belgian Jews seeking refuge in France, had been abandoned by smugglers after being robbed of their money.

Pierre rescued the family—two parents and their two-year-old twin daughters—and brought them to his home, where they were temporarily hidden in a small hut in the courtyard. Denise, a schoolteacher, cared for them and ensured they had food and basic necessities. One morning before dawn, she provided the family with supplies and forged identity papers before bidding them farewell. Pierre then guided them by indirect routes across the demarcation line and placed them on a bus bound for Vichy. The following day, he visited them to make sure they were safe.

Pierre Renard sought no reward for his actions, motivated solely by resistance to the occupation and compassion for the persecuted. In 1944, he was arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Dachau. Though he survived the camp, he died shortly after the war due to illness and suffering. In 1969, Yad Vashem recognized Pierre and Denise Renard as Righteous Among the Nations.