de Gaulle a Librarian?

Died in his library at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises

Charles de Gaulle (November 1890 – 9 November 1970), commonly known in France “the General”, was a French army officer and statesman who led Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to restore democracy in France. In 1958, he came out of retirement when appointed Prime Minister by President René Coty. He rewrote the Constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic after approval by referendum. He was elected President of France later that year, a position to which he was reelected in 1965 and held until his resignation in 1969.

In London, during World War II as leader of the Free French, de Gaulle ruminated on another possible existence:

The most wonderful job in the world would be as a librarian…in a small provincial town, perhaps a municipal library in Brittany. What calm! What a wonderful life!¹

Charles de Gaulle died in his library at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises and is buried in the Colombey Cemetery, in a humble grave with the inscription "Charles de Gaulle 1890-1970." In addition, a 145 ft (44.3 m) high Cross of Lorraine was built at the western exit of the village, commemorating his distinguished wartime role as commander of the Free French Forces.

The Cross of Lorraine was used as a symbol of Free France during World War II

De Gaulle was a prolific writer.² His importance, like Churchill’s, derived from their being historians, not just statesmen, shaping events through their writings as well as their deeds.³

1. Coulet, Francois (1967) Vertu des temps difficiles pp. 165-166 as quoted in Jackson, Julian (2018). De Gaulle, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Mass. 2018, pp. 11-12.

2. English translations of works by de Gaulle:

• The Enemy's House Divided (La Discorde chez l'ennemi). Tr. by Robert Eden. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 2002.

• The Edge of the Sword (Le Fil de l'Épée). Tr. by Gerard Hopkins. Faber, London, 1960 Criterion Books, New York, 1960

• The Army of the Future (Vers l'Armée de Métier). Hutchinson, London-Melbourne, 1940. Lippincott, New York, 1940

• France and Her Army (La France et son Armée). Tr. by F. L. Dash. Hutchinson London, 1945. Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1945

• War Memoirs: Call to Honour, 1940–1942 (L'Appel). Tr. by Jonathan Griffin. Collins, London, 1955 (two volumes). Viking Press, New York, 1955.

• War Memoirs: Unity, 1942–1944 (L'Unité). Tr. by Richard Howard (narrative) and Joyce Murchie and Hamish Erskine (documents). Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1959 (two volumes). Simon & Schuster, New York, 1959 (two volumes).

• War Memoirs: Salvation, 1944–1946 (Le Salut). Tr. by Richard Howard (narrative) and Joyce Murchie and Hamish Erskine (documents). Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1960 (two volumes). Simon & Schuster, New York, 1960 (two volumes).

• Memoirs of Hope: Renewal, 1958–1962. Endeavour, 1962– (Le Renouveau) (L'Effort). Tr. by Terence Kilmartin. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1971.

3. Reynolds, D. (2006). “Churchill and de Gaulle: Makers and Writers of History”. In: Capet, A. (eds) Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale since 1904. Studies in Military and Strategic History. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle bestrode Anglo-French relations in the mid-twentieth century. They were the Second World War analogues of Lloyd George and Clemenceau. In fact, Churchill and de Gaulle probably had greater significance for the Entente than any other pair of leaders in the whole century. This was partly because of their longevity and influence as national leaders — Churchill was prime minister in 1940–45 and 1951–55; de Gaulle led his country in 1944–46 and again, as president of his tailor-made Fifth Republic, from 1958 to 1969 — but their importance also derived from being historians, not just statesmen, shaping events through their writings as well as their deeds. This essay examines three facets of their wartime relationship — what happened at the time, how they wrote about these events in their memoirs, and the underlying vision of history that inspired them as statesmen and historians.