JournalofPastorAndrTrocm

ItisMarch15,1943.TwodaysagoI,alongwithmytwo
closestcolleagues
ReverendEdouardTheisandtheteacherRoger
Darcissac,wererel
easedfromtheprisoninSaintPauldEyjeaux,

whichisnearLimoges.Sittinghereinmynew,rustedliving
quartersinaremoteabbey,Icanthelpbutthinkbackto
everythingthathashappenedwithinthespanofthepasttwo
years.Goingintohidingwasneverpartoftheplan,although
shelteringJewswhilebeingwatchedbytheVichypolicethe
FrenchNazipartywasneverpartofanyplaneitherhowever,I
donotregretanyofit.
ConsideringthehorrorstorieswhichIkeephearingabout
familiesandupstandersbeingsenttoplacesofunimaginable
painandsuffering,theirmemorieswipedawayandleaving
nothingbutholesonNazipunchcards,Ifeeltheneedtowrite
downmystorybeforeanyonegetsthechancetoerasetheheroes
ofLeChambonsurLignon.
Mystorybeginsthreeyearsagointhewinterof1940when
mywifeMagdaandIwerebroughtnewsofescapingJewsyoung
men,womenandchildrenwereallfleeingfromthesamefate.We
immediatelyknewwhatwehadtodo.
BythenIhadbeenthePastorofthelocalchurchfor
aroundtenyearsandhadbuiltupasteadyrelationshipwiththe
governor,CharlesGuillon,whomIalwayssawsupportingthe
underdog.Itdidnottakemuchtoacquirethegovernors
support,andafewweeksbeforethefirstJewssheltered
themselvesinourtown,wespoketoourclosestfamiliesinour

congregation.OneofthemainthingsIcanrememberfromtheday
weconvincedthefamiliesofourplan,wasmywifeMagda
Trocmswords.Iknewthattrustingintheseselectfamilies
wasariskyidea,buttheworriesoftheVichypolicethatlater
keptmeupatnightneverseemedtocrosshermind.Magdaknew
thatthewomanwereahugepartoftherescueeffort:itwasup
tothemwhetherornottoendangerthemselvesandtheir
families.Thatdayshespokeouttothemothersofthe
community,andshowingnofearshetoldthemitwasthepeople
oftheBibletheywouldberescuing.Withtheirconsent,Magda
beganthehuntforJewsinneedofrescuing.
Overthecourseofacoupleweeks,myassistantPastor
EdouardTheisandIbeganfindingwaystoconcealtheJews
withoutthenoticeofourotherneighborsinoursmalltownof
5000.Thefirstandmostimportantissuewasgettingthe
childrenandfamiliesthatmywifewasbringinginfalsepapers.
MagdawasthefirsttomakecontactwiththeQuakers,the
AmericanFriendsServiceCommittee,throughcarefullycoded
letters.
Itdidnottakemuchtimeforaresponseletter,anditwas
merelytwoweeksbeforewemadecontactwithRogerLeForestier.
Hewasamanwhohadbeencreatingthefalseidentification
papersandrationcardsforJewishchildrenandrefugeessince
thebeginningofthewar.
Ourplanhadbeengoingasswiftlyaswehoped:wewere
takinginthosewhoaskedforhelpandkeepingtheminbasements
andatticsuntilthefakeidentificationpapersweredelivered
withtherationcardssothatthechildrenandteenagerscould
getmeals.

OurbusinesswasboomingandsoonenoughMagda,Edouard
andIhadthechildrenattendingtheschoolmyfamilyhadopened
uptwoyearsbefore,LeCollgeLyceCvenolInternational.In
1941,IaskedmynephewDanielTrocmtobecomethenew
headmaster,forheisthesmartestmanIvemetwithadegreein
physics,chemistryandnaturalsciences.ThemoreIlookback,
themoreIcansee,andnowasIgothroughmymemories,Ican
seehowtrulyselflessDanielhasbeen:eventhoughhelives
withaheartdisease,Danielwouldneverletabeadofsweatgo
towaste.Danielreadtothechildrenatnight,cookedthesoup
thatwastobeservedtotheJewishrefugeeshimself,andloved
andcaredforthelittleonesliketheywerehisown.
IhavealwaysbeenproudtobeaTrocm.
Magdahadalsomanagedtomakecontactwiththe
FrenchJewishchildcareagency,OSE,whowereabletorescue
thechildrenfromthecampsandbringthemtoLeChambonsur
Lignon.
Indifferentplacesaroundtheglobe,wordwasgettingout,
andCatholics,AmericanQuakers,Jews,SwissProtestants,
Evangelicals,studentsofmanyfaiths,andevennonbelievers
weresendingdonationstotheQuakerswhowerethenbringingthe
money,clothing,andfoodstraighttous.
ThingsweregoinggreatuntiltheVichypolicegotwordof
ourendeavors.Wehadbeenkeepingupourgigforaroundayear,
andwewerehousingaround1,000Jewsbeforetheinhome
searchesbeganin1942.
Evenwiththewarragingaroundusandtheconstant
daytodaystruggleofconcealingtheJews,Ifoundthatthis
timeofyear,September,wasmyfavorite.Ihadbeengivingmass

everySundayandhadbeenworkingintheChurcheveryotherday
fromnoontosixwehadbeencarryingonwithourdailylives
tokeepthetruthasecretfromthosewhowouldturnover
innocentsformoney.Weneededtoappearasifnothingwas
wrong,evenwhilelivingunderthefaultycodeofHitler.We
wereascarefulaswecouldbehowever,thingsdidtakeaturn
fortheworsewhentheVichyPolicewerecluedin,andwehadno
choicebuttograbwhowecouldandheadforthehills.
Theafternoonofthesearch,wewerebroughtwordofthe
inspectionbyGeorgesLamirand,aministerintheVichy
governmentwhohadbeenapersonalfriend,andimmediatelymy
wife,EdouardandIfoundthechildrenwithoutpapersand
broughtthemfurtherintothecountrysidefortwentyfourhours.
ThiswasnotthelasttimetheVichyPolicecamesnooping
around,thoughthemorefrequenttheybecame,themoreprepared
wewere.
Magdabeganmakingcontactwithanotherorganizationcalled
theCommitteetoCoordinateActivitiesfortheDisplaced.These
peoplehelpedusfindescaperoutesmanyoftherouteswere
acrosstheSwissBorder,andwewereblessedenoughtohaveone
thatevenledfromLeChambonsurLignonacrossalooselinked
Swissbordertosafety.
Knowingthatthesesmallescapeswouldnotbeenoughtoget
theVichyPoliceoffourbacksforever,wedecideditwouldbe
bestforthechildrenrefugeestoattendmasswiththeir
families.Iknewthiswouldbesubstantialthingtoask,
consideringthattherefugeeshadbeenbeenthroughsomuch
becauseoftheirfaith.Theyhadlostfamilymembers,were
forcedtoworkatlaborcamps,andhadstrandedthemselvesina

countrywherethosewhowantedthemdeadmightbelivingnext
door.Hence,whenIaskedthisofthemIencouragedthem,
especiallythelittlestones,tokeepstrongintheirownfaith.
Itoldthemtoneverletthetyrantschangetheirbeliefs,
becausethatwouldmeanthatHitlerandhisNazimurdererswon.
Thechildrengrewintoyoungadultsastheirexperiences
agedthemtheybecameoldsoulsinchildbodies.Our
concealmentswereworking,anditbecameroutinewhenyoungones
whowereeitherbroughtbytheQuakersorheardthestoriesof
LeChambonsurLignonenteredourtown.
Fallturnedtowinter,thantospring,andtheninthe
summeronAugust15,1942Iwasfacedwithanultimatedilemma.
Iwasfacedbymyfr
iendGeorgesLamirandwhohadbeeninformingme
ofwhentheVichysearcheswouldhappen.Hehadcometomydoorto
explaintomethetalesofaFrenchvillagethathadbeensheltering
Jews,andhewasworriedthesestorieswerereferringto
LeChambon

surLignon.WithcourageinmyheartandGodinmymind,Itold
him
"thesepeoplecamehereforhelpandforshelter.Iamtheir
shepherd.Ashepherddoesnotforsakehisflock...Idonotknowwhat
aJewis.Iknowonlyhumanbeings."Itwasonlydayslaterwhenthe
policeknockedonmydooralongwithmanyothersaskingforJews.
Findingnone,theVichyPolicearrestedme,my
assistant

PastorEdouardTheis,and
RogerDarcissac,whoservedasateacher
at
LeCollgeLyceCvenolInternational.Wewereheldfor

twentyeightdays,eachoneworsethanthenext.Keptin
individualcells,secludedfromtheothers,weweretakenup
everydayintothecommandingofficersofficewhereweweresat
downonawoodenbenchandpressuredtosignacontractstating
fullcorporation.

Surroundedbyanelectricbarbwirefence,watchedby
suitedguards,andkeptwiththeverypeopleweweretryingto
savesentfearthroughthethreeofus.
Evenso,twentyeightdayslaterIwalkedoutoftheprison
inSaintPauldEyjeaux.IwenttomyMagdaandwasforcedto
saygoodbye.Webothknewitwouldnotbesafeformeany
longer,thatsurelytheVichyPolicewouldnotgiveup,andI
wouldbethefirsttofalliftheycameback.
Ourmissionstillcontinues,though.Iurgedthefamilies
ofthosewhowerehelpingustodothewillofGod,notof
man,andIknowmywifewillkeepeverythingontrackwhileI
amaway.
Untilthiswarisover,Iamstuckherewaiting.Waiting
forstoriesaboutGondiandnewsaboutthewar.Iamwaitingfor
asignfromGod,andaletterofgoodnewsfrommywife.Mostof
all,Iamwaitingforthishorrificwartobeover.