Inspired by Stories of Resistance & Escape Lines During World War II From Ireland, Spain, Poland & Belgium Supported by Europe for Citizens Implemented by Contents • Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality, Ireland • Theater & Reconciliation, Belgium • Akademia Humanistyczno- Ekonomiczna w Łodzi, Poland Comet Lines Project Description 4 • Iniciativas De Futuro Para Una Europa Social, Spain Escape Lines during WWII 10 Supported by Europe for Citizens programme of the European Union and The Tatra Mountains Escape Line 16 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland. A special thanks to all Totalitarian regimes and resistance movements in those who took part in or contributed to the project and creation of the book. occupied Europe 20 Europe for Citizens Democracy, Civil Rights, Gender Equality and Peace 27 The aim of the Europe for Citizens Programme is to contribute to citizens' understanding of the EU, its history and Irish stories - Irish in Resistance during WWII 32 diversity and to encourage the democratic Katherine (Kate) Anne Mc Carthy (1895-1971) 37 participation of citizens at EU level. The Maureen Patricia O’Sullivan (1918-1994) 39 Europe for Citizens programme supports initiatives to strengthen remembrance Mary Herbert (1903-1983) 41 and to enhance civic participation at EU Mary Cummins (1905-1999) 42 level. Europe for Citizens is implemented Catherine Crean (unknown-1945) 43 by the Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Samuel Beckett (1906-1969) 44 Executive Agency (EACEA). https://eacea. ec.europa.eu/europe-for-citizens_en Belgian stories 50 Content Mary Moynihan Andrée ‘Dédée’ de Jongh (1916-2007) 52 Fernando Benavente Andrée ‘Nadine’ Dumon (1922-unknown) 57 Kamila Wietrska Paulina Adryańczyk-Linard Elsie Maréchal (1924-unknown) 59 Frédérique Lecomte Jean-François Nothomb or ‘Franco’ (1919-2008) 62 Editor Mary Moynihan François Janssens (unknown) 64 Design EM Creative Raymond Itterbeek (1922-2015) 66 www.EMCreative.ie Creative Commons Licence: Spanish Stories 68 The work is licensed under the Creative Alejandro Elizalde (1894-1946) 70 Commons Licence: Florentino Goikoetxea (1898-1980) 72 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 Kattalin Aguirre (1897-1992) 73 Manuel Iturrioz (unknown-1991) 74 Maritxu Anatol (1909-1981) 76 IBN 978-0-9957376-5-5 Polish stories 78 Copywright: Smashing Times Elżbieta Zawacka (1909-2009) 80 Email: [email protected] Website: www.smashingtimes.ie Helena Marusarzówna (1918-1941) 84 Stanisław Marusarz (1913-1993) 87 Józef Krzeptowski (unknown-1971) 90 Stanisław Frączysty (1917-2009) 92 Smashing Times, the funders and all referenced English Stories 94 authors cannot be held responsible for any use Edith Cavell (1865-1915) 96 which may be made of the information contained therein and accept no liability arising from the use Bob Frost (1923-2019) 99 of these materials or any such third party materials Mary Lindell (1895-1986) 101 and are not responsible for the content of external internet sites or other material listed in this booklet. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the authors, Project Partners 104 funders, Smashing Times and partners exclude all liability for your use of the booklet. COMET LINES l 3 Comet Lines – Freedom Trails of Europe was a yearlong, transnational project with four European partners from Ireland, Spain, Poland and Belgium that used creative processes of theatre workshops, performances, film and new digital technologies to promote a remembrance of European history with a focus on 'Escape Lines' during WWII. scape lines' were secret World War II networks set workshop, performance and creative arts symposium, Eup to assist Allied soldiers and citizens leave Nazi using the stories and activities as a catalyst for bring- occupied territory during WWII. Today the Escape ing people together to raise awareness of the power of Lines are remembered as ‘Freedom Trails’ where European solidarity and the role of the EU to promote citizens from across Europe and beyond, including peace, democracy, and gender equality today. the children and relatives of those who worked on the The project remembers the stories of both men and escape lines and those who were saved, come togeth- women who set up and worked the escape lines er to walk parts of the routes of the original lines including Belgium woman Countess Andrée Eugénie especially over the Pyrenees. The aim is to remember Adrienne de Jongh (1916-2007), nickname Dédée, and honor those who risked and in many cases lost who set up the Comet line (Le Réseau Comète) for their lives to help others be free. escaped Allied soldiers and airmen. The Comet Line or Comète is estimated to have repatriated some The Comet Lines project gathered a range of stories of 800 Allied servicemen who themselves were aided those involved in the escape lines and freedom trails of by over 3,000 civilians, 700 of whom were arrested Europe, remembering the stories of ‘helpers’, escapees and some 290 shot dead or died during deportation. and evaders - those who either organised or used the escape lines of mainland Europe during WWII. The Established in 1940 in Brussels, the Comet Line stories were used as inspiration to create a theatre provided a means of escape for Allied soldiers and 4 l COMET LINES airmen on the run in Nazi occupied Europe. The Comet Lines – Freedom Trails of Europe was imple- escapees were given food, clothing and false identity mented by Smashing Times, Ireland (lead partner), in papers by members of the Resistance in countries partnership with IFES Coop, Valencia, Spain; University such as Belgium, France and Spain and were then of Humanities and Economics (AHE), Łódz, Poland, guided by a chain of ‘helpers’ taking them through and Theatre et Reconciliation, Brussels, Belgium. The France, over the Pyrenees into neutral Spain and project was supported by Europe for Citizens under finally to freedom through Gilbraltar. The network Strand One: European Remembrance with support in was established by De Jongh, a courageous 24-year- Ireland from the Department of Foreign Affairs and old Belgian woman who took enormous risks actively Trade – Communicating Europe Initiative. setting up and running the network with people from different nationalities and who herself personally escorted many of her charges out of France at risk Impacts to her own life. Dédée’s own hero was Edith Cavell, By focusing on stories of 'helpers' and escapees - a British nurse shot in 1915 in Schaerbeek for helping those who either organised or used the escape troops escape from occupied Belgium into neutral lines of mainland Europe during WWII - the project Netherlands during the first World War. explored what happens when intolerance and totali- 1. https://www.azkunazentroa.eus/az/ingl/activities/the-comet-line-%E2%80%93-the-escape-network/al_evento_fa COMET LINES l 5 tarianism take over and democratic processes are denied and encourages debate on contemporary Creative Actions democratic achievements in Europe today. Creative actions implemented by the project are two transnational partner exchanges; a communi- The annual transnational work programme imple- cations and dissemination strategy; a transnational mented for Comet Lines: Freedom Trails of Europe book (digital) with articles and stories of people used creative and cultural processes including story from Ireland, Belgium, Poland and Spain who were telling and performance to generate a shared remem- involved in the escape lines and Resistance across brance of European history and to reach a wide Europe during WWII. The stories are used to inspire range of European citizens at local, regional, national the creation of a theatre workshop model and per- and transnational levels. The project promotes an formance implemented with panel discussions; and understanding amongst young people and adults of an international creative arts symposium bringing the European union, it’s history, functions and diver- citizens together to remember the people who sity and the values it is built on, raising awareness of managed the escape lines during WWII and the soli- the importance of civic and democratic participa- darity that existed between citizens from countries tion at EU level, fostering European citizenship and including Great Britain, Poland, Belgium, Ireland, the active involvement of citizens in the construc- France and Spain. tion of a stronger EU. The project culminated in an international sympo- By exploring the causes of intolerance and totalitari- sium on Thursday 19 September 2019 held as part of anism and remembering stories of solidarity during the inaugural Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival WWII, the project raised awareness of how citizens hosted by Smashing Times and Frontline Defenders can actively transcend borders and come together in Dublin, Ireland and attended by over 30 arts to combat intolerance and to promote a fair and and civil society organisations from across Europe equal society for all. The project linked with the 2018 and members of the public. There were three main European Year of Cultural Heritage by promoting events held on Thursday 19 October, conducted awareness of intangible cultural heritage through by the four partners as part of the Comet Line: the stories, values and principles of the Escape Lines Freedom Trails of Europe project. and the people who worked and were saved by them. The stories for this project came from a range of countries representing a shared sense of belong- ing within Europe, linking local heritage to European