Jacques NANCY (1912 - 1987)

- An electrical engineer, he was mobilised in 1939 as a senior officer cadet. He was taken prisoner but escaped and, very early, joined the resistance in the Basses-Pyrénées region before crossing into Spain in November 1942. After six months detention in the camp at Miranda, he went to England where he underwent training as a parachute officer. In September 1943 he became assistant to Claude BONNIER in the Bordeaux Regional Military Delegation, with responsibility for sabotage groups, under the name of "Sape". By the end of January 1944, Claude BONNIER and Jacques NANCY had succeeded in arming and training about 70 groups.

- In February 1944, along with four other resistants from the Charente, he formed the Special Sabotage Section (S.S.S.), carrying out operations mainly in the Charente and Charente-maritime. The S.S.S. was thus responsible for about 70 acts of sabotage. The finishing touches to Plan "Green" , which provided for the destruction of railway lines by resistants during the Allied landing, were added throughout the South-west. Its principal objective was to paralyse the German army. He took part in the operations to take Angoulême and in the fighting to overcome pockets of German resistance on the Atlantic front, notably the taking of Royan on 14th april 1945. He died on 10th July 1987 at Salon de Provence (Bouches du Rhône).

He was buried in the crypt of the Memorial at Chasseneuil on 7th November 1987.

Commander of the Légion d'Honneur

Médaille Militaire

Croix de guerre (seven mentions in dispatches)

Médaille de la Résistance

Médaille des évadés

Military Cross