Pierre Gouffault

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Pierre Gouffault (born April 23, 1924 in Paris ; † December 20, 2009 there ) was a French resistance fighter against National Socialism in France, a concentration camp prisoner from 1943 to 1945 and president of the International Sachsenhausen Committee .

Family, resistance struggle and prisoners in the concentration camp

When his father died in 1929 as a result of wounds during the First World War , he and his brother were raised by his mother alone. In 1942 his mother, Pierre Gouffault and his brother joined the French resistance against the Nazi occupation in protest about the treatment of his fellow Jews. His family members were arrested on December 13, 1942 and taken to the Compiègne internment camp . He was then transported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp , where he arrived on January 25, 1943. There he was registered under inmate number 59.092. He was transferred to the Heinkelwerke satellite camp , where he could only survive with the help of other prisoners. He was later imprisoned in the Klinkerwerk satellite camp .

Liberation and return to Paris

Before the Allied forces liberated the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in April 1945 , the remaining prisoners went on a death march . So he was only released on May 2, 1945 in the Wittstock / Dosse area . He returned to Paris and met his mother and brother there, who had also survived the abduction. There he worked in a metal processing company and became head of personnel for around 1,000 employees.

Activity in the Amicale, participation in memorials

In 1955 he first took part in a meeting of the French prisoners' association ( Amicale ) in Oranienburg , together with his wife Lucienne. After that, the circle of former French concentration camp prisoners from Oranienburg-Sachsenhausen became the focus of his life. In 1984 he became general secretary of the Amicale for Oranienburg-Sachsenhausen. Since 1993 he has been on the advisory board of the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation .

Presidency of the Sachsenhausen Committee, Klinkerwerk Historical Park

Since 2002 he has been president of the International Sachsenhausen Committee, of which he was treasurer for 28 years. From 1993 onwards he played a key role in the design and maintenance of the memorials. Most recently, he campaigned for a Klinkerwerk historical park , as he had to do forced labor there. But when after twelve years there was still no progress in the project, he expressed his bitterness about it in spring 2009.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mourning the President of the International Sachsenhausen Committee, in: Märkische Allgemeine online from December 23, 2009  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / kulturportal.maerkischeallgemeine.de  
  2. ↑ ISK obituary, Der Tagesspiegel of December 24, 2009
  3. ↑ Mourning for resistance fighters, in: Märkische Allgemeine dated December 22, 2009  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.maerkischeallgemeine.de  
personal data
SURNAME Gouffault, Pierre
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French resistance fighter and concentration camp prisoner
DATE OF BIRTH April 23, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH December 20, 2009
Place of death Paris