Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas (1901 - 1964) was a secret agent British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second world war. Within section RF, in connection with free France, it carried out three important clandestine missions in France (baptized SEAHORSE, MARIE-CLAIRE and ASYMPTOTE), was arrested by the Germans, was imprisoned, tortured and off-set in concentration camp, from which it escaped.

Names of war: “ Shelley ”.

Nickname: The white Rabbit (The White Rabbit).

Genealogy

His/her father: John Yeo-Thomas, coal merchant.

His/her mother: Daisy Ethel Yeo-Thomas, born Burrows.

Its wife: Barbara Joan Dean.

Biography

Beginnings

1901 . - On June 17th, it is born with Holborn, London.

During its childhood, its family moves with Dieppe.

Studies with the college of Dieppe, then with the Condorcet college, Paris. Thanks to that, he will speak perfectly French and English.

1917 . - It engages in the American Legion.

1919-1920 . - He knows the action for the first time during the soviéto-Polish war, as a combatant the Bolsheviks at the sides of the Poles. Captured by the Soviets, it succeeds in escaping and avoiding thus the execution.

1922 . - Mechanic at Rolls-Royce.

following Years: he works in an travel agency, several banks and an oil company.

1932 . - Yeo-Thomas is director of the famous Parisian designers house Molyneux.

The war

1939 .

* September 4th. It is presented to the embassy from Great Britain in Paris and request to be useful in the RAF. The attache of the air declares to him that the army does not recruit any more.

*Il seeks to engage in the Legion. But the orders want that one does not take there an English.

* September 27th. Finally it is accepted in the RAF. It is named interprets, with the rank of corporal, then sergeant.

*Fin of the year. He is convened at the HQ of the fighter force, in Stanmore. He meets Barbara there. During the funny one of war, he is liaison officer near the French forces.

1940 .

*Lors of the German offensive, it is affected with the connection with a group of French bombardment in Le Bourget.

*Après the defeat of France and the day before the cahotic evacuations of Dunkirk, it escapes (via Paris, Tours, Limoges, Bordeaux, Pointe of Low register). Right before the departure, it sends a postcard to a friend of childhood, Josée Dupuis, where it writes: “We will return. ” It turns over by cargo liner to England. It starts by working as interprets in Odiham, where the French pilots of the FAFL are trained.

*Octobre. It is promoted officer, and affected as officer of information to the 308e free Polish fighter squadron, in Badington, close to Coventry.

1942 . - Its talents are noticed by the SOE. February 3rd, it joined section RF as liaison officer between the SOE and the central Bureau of information and action (BCRA), arranges information of free France. Yeo-Thomas quickly establishes bonds with Major Pierre Brossolette and André Dewavrin (more known under its code name Colonel Passy).

1943 .

First mission in France (operation SEAHORSE) : he accompanies Pierre Brossolette and colonel Passy by the BCRA in their mission ARQUEBUSE-BRUMAIRE. They inquire into Resistance, its capacities paramilitary, its political projects and its position with respect to the de Gaulle General, like into the frame of mind of the French.

* February 25th. It is parachuted in France. It shows courage and of initiative during its mission, in particular while allowing a French officer who was followed by an agent of Gestapo to Paris to be found in safety and to take again his clandestine activity elsewhere. It also takes charges with it Capt Ryan, an American pilot whose flying fortress was descended and who, not speaking French, short the risk to be captured.

*15n April. It turns over to England by Lysander, with Passy, Brossolette and the American officer.

Assessment of the first mission : in seven weeks, mission ARQUEBUSE-BRUMAIRE set up the essential components of the unification of Resistance in France, by obtaining an agreement for the installation of a military organization which joins together all the movements (thus preparing the future Secret Army), by also obtaining the creation of the Coordination committee of the resistance movements of the Northern zone, as well as an agreement on the creation and the composition of CNR. In London, the reports/ratios of Yeo-Thomas on the resistant forces and the feelings gaullists nourished per many Resistant and of French consolidate those which are opposed so that Churchill yields to the Americans and to de Gaulle coward.

* May 20th. The de Gaulle general asks to see it and says to him: “I congratulate you for your mission… I thank you for what you did for France. ”

Second mission in France (operation MARIE-CLAIRE) : with Pierre Brossolette, it counts the means of the action armed in France and the requirements out of weapons for the maquis. He works to reinforce the paramilitary organization of Resistance.

* September 17th. Yeo-Thomas and Pierre Brossolette turn over to France. It are deposited in Lysander close to Angouleme. Shortly after their arrival, of many patriots are stopped. Without letting itself discourage, they continue the investigations and obtain information which makes it possible to rectify the situation. On six occasions, Yeo-Thomas misses being stopped.

* October 6th. They bring together in Paris the persons in charge of the movements and those of the Office of the air operations in northern zone for a meeting of conciliation.

* October 26th and 27th. They bring together the regional chiefs of southern zone of the National service maquis, then the northern Military committee of zone.

* November 15th. Recalled to London, Yeo-Thomas turns over to England by Lysander. He brings files of the British Information which he saves of a house supervised by Gestapo. Pierre Brossolette remains on the spot.

Assessment of the second mission : stake in the development of the clandestine paramilitary forces and in their co-operation with the Allies.

1944 .

* February 1st. Yeo-Thomas is called to the 10, Downing Street. During one hour, he pleads at Winston Churchill in favor of Resistance. Churchill goes to its arguments: two days after, section RF will have from now on many planes (22 Halifax, 12 Liberators, 36 Stirlings, 6 Albermarles and many small planes).

*Il learns the arrest from Brossolette.

Third mission in France (ASYMPTOTIC operation) : under the name of war “ Shelley ”, it tries to make escape Pierre Brossolette.

*24n February. It is again parachuted in France (by black night!) in the neighborhoods of Clermont-Ferrand. It prepares the knack against the prison of Rennes. In spite of the precautions of safety, it is betrayed.

* March 21st. At 11 a.m., whereas it has appointment with a contact at the subway station Passy with Paris, it is captured by Gestapo. It is taken along to the general headquarter of 84 Avenue Foch and there is thorough in an office with the cries of “Wir haben Shelley! ”. Seeing itself identified, it applies the instructions: it declines its true identity and recognizes its quality of British officer, with row of squadron leader in the RAF. Although that enables him, in theory, to profit from the laws of the war, it is subjected during four days to the brutal torture which punctuates its interrogation: immersion in the ice-cold water (which requires then an artificial respiration), feet and arms connected, electrocution of the genitals, innumerable beatings up.

Assessment of the third mission : failure.

*L' interrogation of Yeo-Thomas continues for two months. The Germans propose to him freedom against information on the executive secretary of Resistance. Having been wounded by the chains which bound the wrists to him, it contracts a gangrene which misses making him lose the left arm. It makes two escape bids, dared but unfruitful.

*Il is sent to the prison of Fresnes in insulation, including four weeks with the cooler.

* July 17th. Not having provided any information, it is transferred to the prison from Compiegne, from where it seeks to escape twice.

* August 8th. He and 36 others are off-set with the concentration camp of Buchenwald. On the way, they stop in Saarbrucken, where they are beaten and one keeps them in a tiny hut, before setting out again towards Buchenwald.

* August 16th. They sometimes happen at the camp In spite of the prospect to be carried out and to finish with the crematorium, and it will be the case for sixteen of them on September 10th, Yeo-Thomas starts to organize resistance inside the camp and tries once again to escape. Begun again, it takes the identity of a dead French. It is helped by the English Harry Peulevé and the French Stephan Hessel.

1945 .

*Janvier. He is transferred to the camp from Rehmsdorf. While trying to escape, it is intercepted by a German patrol. Proclaiming its French nationality, it is transferred in a camp for prisoners of war French close to Marienburg.

* April 16th. It leads a group of 20 in an extremely courageous escape bid, in full day. 10 are killed by the guards. The others disperse in small groups. Yeo-Thomas separates from his companions after three days without food. He only continues during a week. He is taken again with 800 yards of the American lines. A few days later, he escapes with a group of ten prisoners of war French, which he leads in the middle of the German patrols to the American lines.

* May 8th. It is the very same day VE-day which it arrives at Paris. He dines in company of major Thackwaite and Josée Dupuis, with the club of the British officers of the Saint-Honore suburb.

After the war

Yeo-Thomas is an important witness with the lawsuit of Nuremberg to identify the persons in charge of Buchenwald and for defense of the German commando Otto Skorzeny.

Yeo-Thomas is delegated for France of the Federation off British Industries .

1964 . - On February 26th, 62 years old, he dies in his Parisian apartment of the continuations of a hemorrhage.

Recognition

• George Cross-country race in Wing To order Forest Frederick Edward YEO-THOMAS, M.C. (89215), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
• MC & Bar
• Military Cross (with palms),
• Commander of the Legion of Honor,

External bonds

• Photography of Yeo-Thomas.

References

• Leo Marks, Between Silk and Cyanide: In Codemaker' S Story 1941-1945 .
• Brigitte Friang, Parachutes and Petticoats .
• Kenneth More made the portrait of Yeo-Thomas in the documentary one televised BBC The White Rabbit , (1967). * IMDB “The White Rabbit”.

Sources

• article of English language.
• Under the direction of François Marcot, historical Dictionary of Resistance , coll Books, Robert Laffont, 2006.
• Bruce Marshall, The White Rabbit . Translation in French: the white Rabbit , translation of English by Pierre Frederic, foreword of Gilberte Pierre-Brossolette, Gallimard, 1953.
• François Musard, Glières, March 26th, 1944 , Robert Laffont, 1965.