I am very pleased to have author Kendrick Kirk as our guest blogger today. Ken wrote the wonderful book, Messages in Handlebars, as a tribute to his very good friend Jean-Jacques Auduc and Mr. Auduc’s activities as the youngest active member of the French Resistance during the German occupation of France. Messages in Handlebars is now used as a reference book at the U.S. Military Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-mer as well as the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum (Savannah, Georgia). The book has been translated into French and is popular overseas as well as having been endorsed by the British Ambassador to France. Mr. Auduc’s hometown and surrounding areas were a hotbed of activities for the missions of both the French resistance, the Auduc’s réseau (network), and Special Operations Executive (SOE). I know you’ll enjoy Ken’s blog as well as reading his book, Messages in Handlebars.

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Let’s Meet Claire and Kendrick Kirk

Ken and his wife, Claire, divide their time between their home in Georgia and their lovely château, Château RiveSarthe, near Le Mans, France. They host various groups at their château during the year as well as organize group tours within France. They maintain a web site where anyone interested can contact them: www.rivesarthe.net

Ken received his B.S. from Georgia Tech and MBA from Georgia State. While at Georgia Tech, he set SEC and school records in the javelin throw. Ken served as national chair for Masters Track & Field and has been nominated to the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. In April 2013, Ken became the first American honored by the French Maginot Foundation for his work to commemorate American sacrifices in the liberation of France from the Nazis. Ken is serving or has served on many non-profit boards including Cobb County YMCA and the Cobb Museum of Art.

Claire d’Orgeix is the descendant of a family dating to medieval France. Her father, Count Charles d’Orgeix, led a squadron of eighteen Free French tanks into Paris on 25 August 1944 (Liberation Day). He was awarded the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honor for his wartime service. Count d’Orgeix was one of the consultants for the book Is Paris Burning? and the movie of the same name. Claire translated Messages in Handlebars into French.

Don’t Disturb My Fantasy

If it is a fantasy I am living, let’s not disturb it! I married a beautiful French lady from the aristocracy (Claire) and live in our French château half the year and in our Marietta, Georgia home the remainder. My adventure leapt with the visit in April of 2006 of two members of the Association des Anciens Combattants Franco-Americains: Jean-Jacques Auduc and Jean-Claude Faribault. Their 450-member organization (http://www.ancienscombattantsfrancoamericains.fr) has as its sole purpose the commemoration of American sacrifices in liberating their beloved France from Nazi tyranny. We joined immediately and enthusiastically.

On May 8, 2006, VE Day, five restored U.S. World War II vehicles arrived at the château. We were ushered into a command car to proceed to the town square in Malicorne-sur-Sarthe. There, we were placed at the front of the parade, behind the band, and asked to carry the American flag. A march around the town led our parade to the ever-present obelisk commemorating the town’s WWI and WWII losses. After Claire presented a bouquet at the obelisk’s base, the band played “La Marseillaise” followed by the “Star-Spangled Banner.” A chill went up my spine as a choir sang the hymn of the resistance.

A Message From the Citizens of Malicorne

Some 100 of us went to the Salle des Fêtes (banquet hall) which was draped with red, white and blue streamers interspaced with French and American flags. In wonderment, Claire and I were seated in the places of honor at the head table. Following the fine meal, we were asked to stand at the head of a receiving line. Merci pour vos pères et oncles (“Thank you for your fathers and uncles”) was repeated time and again by these appreciative French who, through Claire and me, were seeking to thank all Americans who sacrificed to liberate France.

We are thankful that through Stew’s blog we are finally able to deliver the thankfulness of the townsfolk of Malicorne to you. Their sentiments are alive in most of the people of France who are knowledgeable about WWII.

Getting to Know the Youngest Resistance Fighter

During the ensuing months Jean-Jacques Auduc visited us on several occasions relating his family’s resistance activities. Impressed, we asked him to address my thirty-three classmates who came over for a reunion tour of France. After he left, my classmates, equally impressed, overnight raised enough to purchase tickets for Jean-Jacques and wife Paulette to fly to Atlanta, their lifelong dream. Armistice Day, November 11, 2007, saw the two riding in an open top convertible in Marietta’s Veterans Day parade. Arriving to the Marietta square, Jean-Jacques and Claire as interpreter were ushered onto the bandstand where he delivered his Veterans Day thanks to the 450 gathered in the square. The next day half the front page of the Marietta Journal was filled with a color photo of the two on the bandstand.

The next evening, we held a reception at the Marietta Conference Center with friends of Jean-Jacques attending from Indiana and Miami among the 120 guests. Our U.S. representative, Dr. Phil Gingrey, presented Jean-Jacques with an American flag he had had flown over the U.S. Capital.

By now, Claire and I had heard enough of Jean-Jacques stories and observed listeners’ awe to realize that here was a story needing to be told. Many a winter evening we sat in front of a fire while Claire translated the short memoirs of five members of Jean-Jacques’ network for me to type. These and Jean-Jacques stories which I had written formed the basis for our book Messages in Handlebars. But there was a problem: neither Jean-Jacques nor any interested French could read our book. Wonderful Claire accepted the task of translating our English edition into French. Jean-Jacques was so proud of the French version that he personally sold some 500 copies. Profits from the sales of the book are shared 50/50 with Paulette, now that we have lost Jean-Jacques.

A Scene From the Book

(Stew’s note: The following is an excerpt from Messages in Handlebars whereby Jean-Jacques talks about one of his many experiences as a twelve-year-old résistant).

The Gestapo’s note read: “We have arrested your mother and father. Give yourself up tomorrow or we will put out their eyes.” These brutes knew that a twelve-year-old would break readily under their whips. They were aware of how much I might know about my parents’ resistance réseau. How could I, Jean-Jacques Auduc, a twelve-year-old, cope with such a threat? I could because my parents had taught me well about Gestapo tactics and had me promise not to give in to their methods.

In this terrible November of 1943, I had taken the train alone to Paris from my hometown of Le Mans when a neighbor warned of my parents’ arrests. I could not fathom how the Gestapo learned where I was staying. But there was their note left when I was not there to be arrested. Now I had to find another safe place to stay, but where? I rushed out of the apartment into the arms of an older man who grabbed and held me. He settled me by saying he was an SOE agent sent to help me find a new safe house. But, how had this agent of the SOE known where I was staying? I felt exposed and vulnerable.

This SOE agent took me to a nice house near the Luxemburg Gardens and introduced me to a plump lady who grabbed my arm to lead me into a warm, colorful reception room, the first warm room I had been in since arriving in Paris. The SOE agent left without another word. Occupying this room were several pretty young ladies who began pampering me. Suddenly, one of the girls made me crouch behind a sofa. I heard the gruff voice of a German and began to tremble. Had I been led astray only to be conveniently arrested?

After the German left the reception room, the girl who had hid me said to come with her. She led me to a bedroom on the deuxième étage (second floor).  I was told to stay there as she disappeared only to reappear minutes later with a full plate of food. My previous hosts were not able to share much of their small allowances of food. I, of course, had no food stamps of my own, so I was desperately hungry. Never before was eating such a delight! When I had finished it was almost 21:00 (9:00 PM) and to my great surprise my hostess pulled out a radio and turned it on. Possession of radios was punishable by imprisonment. When I asked how she could have one, she answered that her German clients wished to listen to her radio. She called herself a “lady of the night.” I had no idea what that meant.

We listened to the BBC’s French broadcast; this was followed by messages whose meaning only the French resistance could understand. One of the verses was “Tiny Tom has arrived safely at his friends the paint dealer.” Wow, Tiny Tom was my code name as I was small for my age. The man who brought me to this place really was an SOE agent who had reported his taking me safely here.

I thought back on a happier time when four American airmen from two downed B-17s stayed in our Le Mans house. One, Edward Chonski, had shown us how to jitterbug. He was the same fellow we dressed as a young lady so we could take him for walks, only to have two German soldiers notice “her” charms!

It was not safe for me to stay in one place for more than a few days. The uncle I was supposed to get help from found me only to relate that he himself was under surveillance and could not help. This is why I took a job as a delivery boy to have money for purchasing food, but it was never enough, and I shed what little weight that remained on my bony frame.

Stew’s Comments

Ken is one of our many readers around the world who reach out to us about our bi-weekly blogs. He related the story of Jean-Jacques to me and I was able to obtain a copy of his book. I couldn’t put the book down especially when reading the first-hand account of Jean-Jacques’s activities during the occupation years. If Jean-Jacques were still with us today, he would be the first to tell you how lucky he was to have survived as an active résistant regardless of his age.

Jean-Jacques’s story is only one of hundreds of thousands of resistance stories ⏤ many of which we will never hear about. We are fortunate that Ken and Claire were able to capture his story and commit it to writing for future generations.

Forgive But Never Forget

✭ ✭ ✭ Learn More About the Youngest French Résistant ✭ ✭ ✭

“Messages in Handlebars” is available in an autographed paperback for $22 delivered to your door. Send your check made payable to:

Ken Kirk

500 Hardage Trace

Marietta, GA 30064

You may also download it as an eBook from Amazon.

You may email Ken at: wkenkirk@gmail.com

Kirk, Kendrick. Messages in Handlebars: The Youngest Resistance Fighter. Published by Kendrick Kirk, 2011.

Ken’s website:           www.rivesarthe.net

What’s New With Sandy and Stew?

I’d like to thank Ken for a wonderful blog. I’ve met many people like Ken, who were fortunate to have personally known résistants like Jean-Jacques. In several cases, I was told that they never knew their friend had been in the French Resistance until after the person passed away. I wish we had more stories like Messages in Handlebars to remind us all of the brutality and atrocities committed by the Nazis.

Thanks to all of you who subscribe to our bi-weekly blogs. It seems there isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t increase our readership. Please let your history buff friends and family members know about our blogs.

Someone Is Commenting On Our Blogs

I’d like to thank Charles C. for his question, “WHEN IS THE BOOK ‘Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters’ coming out?” Good question Charles. To be honest I had hoped for fourth quarter 2019 but then it turned into first quarter 2020. Now, it looks like sometime this year. We’ve had quite a few distractions which have turned my attention away from finishing the book. However, I’m wrapping up the development of several new lecture topics, the puppy is growing up and beginning to act like a human, and I’ve decided to dedicate two full days per week to nothing but working on the book. Believe it or not, it’s pretty far along in its development. The only “fly in the ointment” is our travel schedule, especially during the first half of the year. Thanks for asking Charles and I’ll keep you posted as we move through the year. In fact, I will insert a section in all future blogs about my progress. So, stay tuned.

If there is a topic you’d like to see a blog written about, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I love hearing from you so keep those comments coming.

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