Tag: Bonjour Paris

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The Tartan Pimpernel

How many of you have read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy? Probably not many. It’s the story of the wealthy but foppish Sir Percy Blakeney who leads a double life. He is an accomplished swordsman, master of disguises, escape artist and as the “Scarlet Pimpernel,” Sir Percy rescues French aristocrats from the guillotine blade during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

Today, we are going to focus our attention on a Scottish pastor who led the Paris parish for the Church of Scotland. Rev. Dr. Donald Caskie’s wartime exploits for rescuing downed Allied airmen and leading them to safety through the Pat O’Leary escape line earned him the nickname, “The Tartan Pimpernel.”

I will be the guest speaker for Bonjour Paris on 6 December 2023 for a Zoom presentation to their members and others. The topic will be “Walking History: In the Footsteps of Marie Antoinette” and I will take you on a walk along the exact route in Paris that the queen’s tumbrel took to the guillotine. I invite you to join us for the discussion and slide show.

Bonjour Paris (click here to visit the web-site) is a digital website dedicated to bringing its members current news, travel tips, culture, and historical articles on Paris. I have been a member for more than ten years and have found its content to be quite interesting, practical, and entertaining.

 I will have a direct link to sign up for my presentation at a later date. There is no cost to Bonjour Paris members and €10,00 for non-members. The time of the live presentation on 6 December will be 11:30 AM, east coast time.

Did You Know?

Did you know I could probably write enough blogs on World War II traitors to fill an entire year? Today, I decided to call-out a particular British traitor who was quite dastardly and frankly, a lousy human being. Harold Cole (1906−1946) ⏤ a.k.a. Harry Cole, Paul Cole ⏤ began his criminal career as a teenager. Released from prison shortly after the war began, Cole enlisted in the British army and was stationed in France. Considered handsome with an appealing personality and sharp wits, Cole was never without female company. It didn’t take long before he was caught stealing from the army and jailed. Escaping, Cole was apprehended and thrown into jail once again. As the Germans overran France, Cole was released by the military but rather than returning to England, he remained in France. Read More The Tartan Pimpernel

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“What I Did Wasn’t Civil”

Many of our long-time readers know I enjoy highlighting women résistants in the French Resistance. Stories like Nancy Wake (read The White Mouse here), Suzanne Spaak (read Something Must Be Done here), Marie-Madeleine Fourcade (read Noah’s Ark here), and Hélène Berr (read The French Anne Frank here) are quite uplifting and show the superior leadership skills, moral commitment, and fortitude these women possessed.

Today, you’ll be introduced to an exceptional résistant who was the only woman to actually lead a Special Operations Executive (SOE) circuit (i.e., network) as well as being responsible for leading a large group of Maquis (French Resistance underground guerrilla fighters) before, during, and after the Allied invasion on 6 June 1944.

Pearl Witherington in uniform. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Pearl Witherington in uniform. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Wallace fountains in Paris are painted bright primary colors? The original paint was what we call today, “British racing green” ⏤ remember Jim Clark’s Formula One racing car from the 1960s? Yes, of course, you do (that is why I inserted a picture).

Jim Clark’s 1965 Lotus-Ford with British racing green colors. Photo by Michael Barera (2012). PD-CCA-Share Alike 4.0 International. Wikimedia Commons.
Jim Clark’s 1965 Lotus-Ford with British racing green colors. Photo by Michael Barera (2012). PD-CCA-Share Alike 4.0 International. Wikimedia Commons.

About three years ago, I wrote a blog on the Wallace fountains (read Wallace Fountains here). Readers were introduced to Sir Richard Wallace (1818-1890), a British philanthropist who was concerned about the lack of safe drinking water in Paris. He financed the building of public drinking fountains which have become affectionately known as “Wallace Fountains.” As Ulrike explains in her article (see below), some of the fountains have been painted in bright colors. It’s easy to miss the green fountains but there is absolutely no way you can miss the bright red, yellow or purple ones!

Wallace fountain (green). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (green). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (yellow). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (yellow). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (blue). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (blue). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (Pink). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.
Wallace fountain (Pink). Photo by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey (2018). Bonjour Paris: The Wallace Fountain in Color. Courtesy of Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey.

Please enjoy this article written by Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey:  click here.

If you enjoy Paris and haven’t already done so, I recommend you subscribe to the Bonjour Paris blog. Link here.

 Special Operations Executive

The SOE was officially formed on 22 July 1940 when Winston Churchill ordered Hugh Dalton to “set Europe ablaze.” Churchill loved the idea of spies, espionage, and guerilla warfare. At the time, the British military leaders were against it as it represented irregular warfare tactics, but Churchill knew that undercover covert operations within the occupied countries would be necessary to accomplish the Allied goals, including the eventual invasion of Europe. Read More “What I Did Wasn’t Civil”