Julienne Aisner

Julienne Aisner
Birth name Julienne Marie Louise Simart
Nickname(s) JuJu
Born (1899-12-30)30 December 1899
Anglure, France
Died 15 February 1947(1947-02-15) (aged 47)
Paris, France
Allegiance  France
Service/branch Special Operations Executive, French Resistance
Years of service 1943-1944
Unit "Farrier"
Battles/wars World War II
Awards King's Commendation for Brave Conduct (UK)
Relations Jean Besnard

Julienne Aisner, née Simart (30 December 1899—15 February 1947[1]) was a World War II resistance agent, working with the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Biography

Born in Anglure, near Troyes, she married Lieutenant M. Lauler of the USMC in 1924. They had a son and lived in the United States, Lebanon and Hanoi. Her husband died in 1927 after only three years of marriage, and she finally returned to France in 1933, where she worked as a scriptwriter at a film studio. She married Robert Aisner in 1935, but they were divorced in 1941.[2]

Aisner was recruited by Henri Déricourt, a friend of her former husband, to work with the SOE in Paris in February 1943. Her role was to find safe houses for SOE agents to live and operate from.

By April 1943 the situation in France had changed and Déricourt arranged for an RAF plane to take Aisner to England, where she joined the Women's Transport Service (FANY) for training with SOE.[2] Having completed her training, she returned to France in a Westland Lysander aircraft with fellow female SOE operative Vera Leigh on the night of the 14/15 May 1943.

She worked alongside Déricourt, Maurice Rémy Clement, and wireless operator André Watt,[3] as courier for the Farrier circuit,[2] which organised clandestine aircraft landings.

Having completed her mission she returned to England on 6 April 1944 with Jean Besnard. On 27 April 1944 Aisner and Besnard were married in Marylebone Registry Office, London.[4] After returning to Paris, she died from cancer in February 1947.[5]

Awards

She was awarded the "King's Commendation for Brave Conduct" by Great Britain.

1939–1945 Star France and Germany Star War Medal with King's Commendation for Brave Conduct

References

  1. ↑ Archives of Anglure, archives of Paris
  2. 1 2 3 "Aisner, Julienne Marie Louise (JuJu) (nee Simart)". Special Forces Roll of Honour. 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. ↑ Harrison, David M. (2013). "SOE French Section - Members List". soe_french.tripod.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ↑ FreeBMD entry. Also Jean Besnard SOE file, National Archives, Kew.
  5. ↑ Une Marnaise agent du SOE, Julienne Aisner par Jean-Pierre Husson


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