Name Edmond & Zelie RECOULE Aliases  
Date of birth 8 May 1886 - Edmond
9 May 1901 - Zelie
Profession Shop owners
Address 48 rue des Abbesses, Paris 18, France Spouse/
Children
/
Antonin & Edmond (20)
Position Safe house Awards Légion d'Honneur
Zelie Recoule (centre) ~1947.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Recoule
     
References NARA:RG498/290/55/27/2 Box 344 - Awards' file - Zelie Recoule
NARA:RG498/290/55/27/2 Box 62 - Awards' file - Marie-Louise Campion
NARA:RG498/290/55/27/2 Box 20 - Awards' file - Suzanne Bastin
Information from Nicole Recoule

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Last updated on 20 March, 2015

The Recoule family sheltered Joseph Kenny and James Gillman (RAF) from 3rd March to 9th March 1944. The airmen were staying at the Campion family's home. Pierre Courtadon arranged for Zelie Recoule to shelter them and Robert Rocher brought them across. It was decided to try and get them to Spain, and on 9th March they left for Pau, to the home of some friends of the Recoules family, accompagnied by the Recoule's son, Edmond. Mme. Bastin claimed that Mme. Campion also accompagnied them and Gillman wrote that "a young boy of 18 and his sister (names unknown) were to accompany us". After leaving Bordeaux, the Gestapo did an ID check and Kenny, Gillman and Edmond were arrested. The fact that the three of them had consecutive ticket numbers, led the Gestapo to believe that Edmond was acting as their escort. On 12th March, Zelie and Edmond senior were arrested in Paris. It is not known how the Gestapo found out that the airmen had been staying there, but it is likely that one of the three caught on the train, inadvertently divulged the information.

Zelie Recoule was taken to Fresnes in Paris, then moved to "Biarritz, Hotel de la Paix, la Maison Blanche, Fort du Ha at Bordeaux" and Romainville. She was deported to Saarbrück, then Ravensbrück and worked in the Assages factories in Leipzig. At the end of April 1945 the camp was liberated and Zelie Recoule returned to France on 21st of May or June. Her husband and son were both deported, but did not return.

Note, Zelie Recoule died in 2005 at the age of 104.