Suzanne Delavallée (1892-1966)

Suzanne Delavallée was born in Blicquy in Belgium on January 22, 1892, girl of Désiré Oscar Delavallée and of Marie Louise Coupé, she lived many years to Leers in 4, rue de Lys.

She died on March 24, 1966 in Sallaumines in Pas-de-Calais.

Voluntary collaborator of the 2nd Office of Lille since the beginning of the Second World War, until German occupation, she was arrested on November 20, 1940 and was taken in Brussels, St Gilles prison where she stayed one month.

From there, two officers led it to Aachen where she is stayed three days three days, and then she left in transport for Cologne.

After a new stage she arrived to Hamburg where she remained year.In an individual cell, Suzanne Delavallée underwent interrogations. During this period she had then the right to speak with no prisoner, nor even to look at no prisoner.

At the end of December I94I, Suzanne Delavallée arrived at Ravensbruck. She was placed with 35 other prisoner in a small cellar without light. She stayed in this cellar during several days. Then took place many the formalities for all held which had just arrived at the camp. Number 8396 was attributed to Suzanne Delavallée, and she entered in a block N°I6. She was the first Frenchwoman who arrived at the camp, occupied by Germans and Polishes.

In 1943, she went voluntary to make potatos harvest. This work was painful but it was the occasion for Suzanne Delavallée to leave the camp the morning until the evening.

At the beginning of January I945, the women of a certain age less capable of the work and become of the "mouths inutile", were sent in a camp of youth. The chiefs of Blocks, Polish for the majority, had to indicate each one around fifty of women for these camps of youth.

Several times the women had to group and doctors came to sort out on one hand valid still capable of the work and the others who must be gazed. Suzanne Delavallée knew some words of German and had the idea to advance on one of the doctors to say to him that she was still very capable to work. After one minute of hesitation, and taken by surprise he says to her "It's good, return in the block".

Thus Suzanne Delavallée was only one saved among several hundreds of other prisoners.

Story carried out from the writings of Suzanne Delavallée

Cotteaux Alice, Eudoxie, Marie, Céline, Mélanie (1862-1953)

It is in Mauroy in the canton of Cateau that was born Alice Cotteaux.

Girl of Desiré Cotteaux, head clerk of notary and Céline Bracq.

She died on January 4th, 1953 in Leers.

Alice Cotteaux began in the state education as trainee at the school of Solférino street in Lille, then teacher associated with the school of Léonard-Danel street at October 1st, 1881.

On October 1st, 1901, she is named at the post of principal in Leers. At that time the school counted only 2 classes, on February 16th, 1903, her obtained the nomination of one 2nd associated and the opening of one 3rd class.

October 1st, 1904 a 4th class is created then a 5th on October 1st, 1919. This last one was for her departure in 1928.

Its beginnings with the direction of the school public of Leers were very animated owing to the fact that it encountered a hostile municipality.

Pedagogue of value, her format of excellent pupils and several generations owe her their education today.

She played a big role in the life of the laic associations in 1921 with gymnastics section "La Féminine".

Her devotion to the cause of teaching was worth to her numerous medals.

In 1974, the municipality decided on the construction of a nursery school and gave it Alice Cotteaux's name.

Hasbroucq Raymonde née Rolland (1905-2001)

Tailor at Herbaut Denneulin in Roubaix, Raymonde Rolland arrives at Leers in 1925, at the age of 20.

Girl of Rolland Eloïs and Julienne-Marie Janssens, Raymonde marries Eugene Hasbroucq, a printer leersois, on March 30th, 1929.

Together, they create in 1935, a store "Press and Printing work" located street of the Town hall, today street of General de Gaulle.

In 1938, they transfer their store street Thiers, now street of the Patriots.

Her husband left to the war and arrested, her had to then face only, during 5 years, all the loads of the store.

After having held this store during 53 years, she withdrawn for a well deserved rest, at the 83 years age.

She was, into 1942. fonder of the theatrical troop "La Cécilienne" whose first concert was given for "the parcel of the prisoner".

In the head of "La Cécilienne" she offers in 1953, a meal to old people of the commune to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the troop. This meal will be renewed 11 years of continuation.

Mrs Hasbroucq did not cease being spent without counting, always voluntarily. She went from district in district to the head of her troop.

At the end of 45 years, during which she directed its troop in a masterly fashion, she was withdrawn after a last representation on March 28th, 1987, she was 82 years old.

Woman of exception, Mrs Hasbroucq did not hesitate to receive refractories and maquisards in her back store.

She was also president of the parochial choir where she began in 1942.

October 15th, 1970, she receives the Medal of Refractories and Maquisards she receives also the Medal of the War veterans and War prisoners 1939/1945.

In March 1982, Mr Demonchaux, Mayor of Leers, decree to her the Medal of Honor of the City.

Mrs Raymonde Hasbroucq left us on October 24th, 2001, in her 97th year.

Bourgeois Flore (1883-1949)

Flore-Marie Bourgeois was born in Leers on March 2nd, 1883, girl of Henry Bourgeois and Sabine Malfait, she attends the school of Leers and obtains, as of the eleven years age, both certificates.

Her parents held a trade of grocer, street of Audenarde (at present street Victor Hugo).

With their death, before the war of 1914, she takes again the trade and takes charge with the biggest attention of her youngest brother Denis, been born in 1893, of delicate health.

Flore Bourgeois had three other brothers, Edouard-Prosper, Arthur and Oscar. As of the first days of the war 1914-1918, Flore Bourgeois which held shop at the first house of the current row of Haverie, street Victor Hugo, writes with spontaneousness and meticulousness, day after day, on four books of schoolboy, the events which crossed the period of the first world war.

Its experiments, its anguishes, the departure for the combat of her three elder brothers, German occupation, requisitions, everyday life of Leersois during all this period. The departure, then the death of her young Denis brother, killed in the fight beginning of 1916, was for her a tragedy.

During many years, she carefully preserved her invaluable books in a paperboard arranged at the bottom of her attic, then one day, she rereleased them to show them to her children but they were still too young to understand the reasons which had pushed her to write them.

Flore Bourgeois married in 1921, Jules Merchez, a pigeon fancier whom she had known during the war and which had taken care of Denis's pigeons. The couple had two children Denis and Thérèse. Flora died in 1949 and her husband in 1969.

The four books which she wrote during this long dramatic period were, with the agreement of her children, published by the Association "Leers Historique"

Episodes of the war 1914, by Flore Bourgeois, Registration of copyright November 1998.

Renaux Clémence (1902-1983)

Girl of Emile Joseph, painter and of Sophie Renard, Clémence Rénaux was born in Leers on April 15th, 1902.

Hier parents lived to the 18, street Gambetta close to the place.

Clémence Rénaux attends the school Jeanne d'Arc to Leers. She is only 12 years old at the declaration of war in 1914 and it is probably under the inspiration of her mother that she undertakes the drafting of the events which marked the everyday life of this small commune throughout this world war on a small book of schoolboy.

Of size 15 X 20 cm, with blue cloth-lined cover, written with black ink in a quite readable way, occupies 80 pages and recalls continuously, the events to Leers between Sunday August 2nd, 1914 and January 1917. It forms part of a whole of two, even perhaps three books, of which only the first reached us.

It was found by her son Robert Anselmet, in the attic of a small house.

It is through the eyes of a young teenager that these events are recalled. The sentences are often written in a telegraphic way, the orthography and grammar are failing in many places of the text, but its account is rich in impressions and of descriptions on the first Germans installed to Leers.

Clémence Rénaux underlines perfectly the feeling of lassitude, which seizes each one with the wire of the months with the noise of the gun, which does not cease thundering night and day.

She marries on September 6th, 1930, Louis Anselmet, a textile worker. The couple had only one child, Robert Anselmet.

Clémence Rénaux died at the 81 years age, December 10th, 1983.

Its book was published following those of Flore Bourgeois, by the Association "Leers Historique".