(7 October 1920 – 7 August 1944) was a Belgian

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who was murdered in a German prison.

Biography

Fernande Volral was born in

Champigneulles Champigneulles () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. left, Arboretum de Bellefontaine. It is home to L' Arboretum de Bellefontaine. The Champigneulles brewery, founded on 20 June 1897, was for a long ...

, near Nancy, in October 1920. During the 1930s her family moved to Charleroi, in Belgium. When she became an adult, she moved to

Jette Jette (; ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Ganshoren, Koekelberg, and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, as well as the Fl ...

, launching a career in fashion. In 1941 she met Raoul Baligand, the leader of the Partisans Armés, and joined the Belgian underground resistance. She originally served as a liaison agent, before joining the ''10 de la rue de la Perle'' de

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western p ...

group. The group was affiliated with the Front de l'Indépendance, which mainly consisted of Italian anti-fascists who had fought in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. In late 1942 she led a number of successful sabotage missions with the group. On 23 February 1943 she was betrayed to the fascist authorities. When German police came to arrest her at her home, she fought back, wounding one before being subdued. She was imprisoned in Saint-Gilles Prison until being deported to Germany to be held in a prison in

Leer Leer may refer to: * Leer, Lower Saxony, town in Germany ** Leer (district), containing the town in Lower Saxony, Germany ** Leer (Ostfriesland) railway station * Leer, South Sudan, town in South Sudan ** Leer County, an administrative division ...

and to be tried by the People's Court. Her trial was held on the same day as that of Marguerite Bervoets, and both women were issued with the same sentence: death. She was then transferred to

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

, where she was executed by beheading in early August 1944.

Legacy

* In 1955 the town of

named a road after her * A commemorative plaque about her was placed on the ''Avenue des Alliés'' in

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

in 2003 * A road in Charleroi was named after her in August 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volral, Fernande People executed by Nazi Germany by guillotine People killed by Nazi Germany Female resistance members of World War II Belgian resistance members Belgian women 1920 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Nancy, France