On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation, L’Écho Républicain is joining forces with the prefecture of Eure-et-Loir and Cedrel (Center for studies and documentation on the Resistance in Eure-et-Loir), to highlight thirty-two resistance fighters who left their mark on the department. We will publish their portraits every Tuesday and Friday.
Born on June 22, 1907, in La Saucelle, Gabriel Herbelin came from a rural family. During the exodus, he was in the southern zone and went back to Eure-et-Loir. Gabriel Herbelin holds socialist ideas, but will be labeled as a communist by the German police and will therefore be under surveillance.
80 years of the Liberation: Michel Cauty, engaged in the battles for the liberation of Chartres
At the beginning of 1942, he was employed by Truffaut where he came into contact with an escape network to England. In September 1942, he was arrested for the first time and entered the Voves camp until February 1943.
His meeting with André Gagnon and Jean Renauldon marks a turning point in his commitment. He was involved in building the Libération Nord movement in Eure-et-Loir, alongside socialist activists and local resistance fighters. Under the pseudonym Duroc, he became one of the undisputed leaders of the Resistance. He also created the Plainville maquis bringing together 171 fighters.
premium 80 years of the Liberation: Charles Taupin, member of the Resistance, participates in the hunt for collaborators and denouncers
After the war, Herbelin published his memoirs in 1984 entitled Notre Histoire, Libération Nord en Eure-et-Loir. He died in 1997 at the age of 90 and was buried in the cemetery of Nogent-le-Rotrou, leaving behind a legacy of courage and dedication to the cause of freedom.
Source : Cedrel.
