Jacques Lewis, one of the last French people still alive to have participated in the Allied landings of June 6, 1944, died on July 25, the Élysée announced on Tuesday. He was 105 years old.
Jacques Lewis was known for his discretion and humility. When he spoke of June 6, 1944, he simply declared: “I saw the beach. I saw France. It was a moving moment. It was the result of all the efforts I had made since 1943 to join the Free French Forces.” Portrait of a Resistance hero.
From the army to Free France in London
Born on March 1, 1919 in Caudéran (Gironde), Jacques Lewis was a brilliant student at the Parisian high school Jeanson de Sailly before pursuing law studies at Sciences Po. The declaration of war turned his life upside down, and in November 1939, at the age of 20, he was mobilized, serving first as an officer cadet.
Refusing defeat after the armistice with the Reich in 1940, Jacques Lewis crossed the Pyrenees on foot with a compass to join General de Gaulle’s Free French Forces. Arrested in Spain, he escaped from Pamplona prison, boarded a Liberian cargo ship and crossed the Atlantic under German bombing. In London, on July 21, 1943, he signed his commitment to the Free French Forces.
Once in London, he prepared for the landing.
Lewis was quickly spotted by Lieutenant Colonel Claude Hettier de Boislambert for his language skills and his value as a non-commissioned officer. He was integrated into the ranks of General Patton’s 2nd American Armored Division, which was to become “hell on wheels” for the Germans, in preparation for the D-Day landings.
Back on French soil after D-Day, he took part in the liberation of Carentan (Manche) and then in the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944, continuing through the Ardennes to Germany. Back in civilian life, Jacques Lewis led a brilliant career in the laboratories of Doctor Payot.
A “memory passer”
Jacques Lewis became a “passer of memory,” and his tall, clear-eyed figure was present at the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019, alongside Léon Gautier, another French hero of the longest day. He was also present last June under the Arc de Triomphe to welcome US President Joe Biden on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The President of the Republic and his wife paid tribute to the figure of a man full of courage and audacity, who risked his life for the honour and freedom of France. They extend their heartfelt condolences to his family, his loved ones and the staff of the National Institute of Invalids.