Possibly the Youngest French Resistant
/In September 2019 my brother Michael and I made the trip to France again. this time we were joined by Kathleen Argenta, the daughter of Joe Houlihan and Bob Edge, the son of William Edge. Sharing this experience with the children of my father’s crew mates and fellow evadees added to the poignancy of the experience. In the picture to the right, we are standing in the same location as the photo my brother Michael is holding. Lucien Bertin, at the far left is the only living survivor of the original photo. What a thrill to have him pose with us. He was able to join us on this visit as well as our 2017 visit. He was only 17 in 1944. Joe Houlihan was 19.
Saint Just-en-Chaussée - June 1944 - At Paul Begue and Yvonne Fossier's home.
From left to right : Lucien Bertin, Joseph Houlihan, Yvonne Fossier, Louis Watts, Suzanne Lequien, William Edge.
The True story On 3rd July 1944, the Gestapo and about 300 SS soldiers surrounded the bottom of the Rue de Paris and the home of Yvonne Fossier where William Edge was still located. William Edge and Paul Bègue shut themselves up in a rabbit hutch for nearly two hours in order to escape arrest.
That's when their neighbor Suzanne Lequien came in. She had the audacity and bravery to extract William Edge from the trap by hiding him in the bottom of a baby pram, with Yvonne Fossier's daughter, Paulette, 18 months old, over him. Right under the noses of the Germans she then took him to a safe place at the house of Paul Bègue's sister, a little further down the same street.
Paulette showing the French Commemorative War Medal and the US Prsedent’s certificate of gratitude awarded to her father for his Aid to American Airmen. Her pride shows in her face.
Replica of June 1944 photo ... 75 years later ! From left to right : Lucien Bertin, Kathleen Argentina: daughter of Joe Houlihan, Paulette (Begue): Daughter of Yvonne Fossier, Michael Watts & Vicki Olsen: children of Louis I Watts and Bob Edge:son of Wiliam Edge
One of the most interesting stories surrounding this stop on our “in our fathers’ footsteps tour” is Paulette’s involuntary role in the resistance. "I obviously do not remember because I was only 18 months old. It is to my mother and her friends that all the credit must be given ... " Paulette timidly declared. In photo below Bob Edge holds a photo of Paulette in her baby carriage. Suzanne Lequien hid Bob’s father in the bottom of the baby carriage, covered him with baby blankets and sat Paulette on top in order to sneak him past the German’s. This was a very moving moment. Bob had no idea he would meet the baby who starred in the story his father had told of the event. I suspect there will be some who will think I made this one up when they read about it in the book. The truth is stranger than fiction.
