Comet Members Visit U.S. and Canada
1974
In the summer of 1974, Michou Dumon-Ugeux agreed to organize and direct a reunion of U.S. and Canadian evaders who had been rescued by the Comet Line and led to their freedom. She would accompany sixty other Comet members on their weeklong trip touring the U.S. with celebrations in Detroit and Washington, starting on October 7th, and culminating in a weekend in New York City where the Comet Line received the key to the city from Mayor Abraham Beame on October 11, 1974. The reunions in these cities had been coordinated by the Air Force Escape and Evasion Society (USAFEE), an organization formed to encourage airmen aided by resistance groups to continue friendships with those who helped them.
Her husband, Pierre Ugeux, would accompany the group as they flew from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to Detroit Metro Airport in the U.S. The plane arrived in Detroit at one o’clock in the afternoon and the Comet Line members were greeted by Ralph Patton, the president of the USAFEES. The entourage was escorted by bus to a reception put on by the Detroit Belgian community. This was followed by a second reception at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Ralph Patton announced at this reception that “Our only purpose is to show that we didn’t forget what they did. We’re not interested in keeping memories of the war, but we do want to remember the wonderful people who risked their lives for us.”
Michou, age fifty- three, held a single rose in her hand and explained, “It was our duty. They were such young boys…and we hoped to be one day free.”
Each Comet member was assigned to a host family where they would stay during their time in Detroit, a place where they could hopefully relax between an often hectic schedule of activities planned by the USAFEES.
On Tuesday, October 8, the group was hosted by several hours of tours of Ford Motor assembly plants and a luncheon in their headquarters before heading back to Birmingham. That night, Comet members reunited with rescued airmen who were able to attend a dinner as guests of the USAFEES. Unfortunately, a larger number of airmen had been expected, but thirty years had passed, and circumstances prevented many from being there.
On Wednesday, October 9, the group boarded a bus for the second leg of the trip…Washington, D.C. This was a twelve-hour trip as the group arrived at the Ambassador Hotel in D.C. late in the day. The following noon, they toured Washington, including a trip to the Pentagon where they were briefed by U.S. Air Force Major General George Keegan, Assistant Chief of Staff. Then they visited Arlington National cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before the evening’s reception at the Belgian Embassy where Michou was warmly greeted by Bob Grimes.
It is important to note the mission of the USAFEES, as stated in the itinerary, prepared for each Comet member:
American Airmen who flew over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II took great comfort in the knowledge that patriots of these occupied countries were actively engaged in aiding those airmen unfortunate enough to be shot down.
Although airmen knew that help was available if they were shot down over occupied countries, they knew nothing about the people or the organization behind the possible help. After the war, they learned that most escape lines in the occupied countries were organized and controlled directly by British Military Intelligence, but that there were a few that were organized and operated by heroic nationals of Belgium, Holland and France.
The Belgian Comet Line, organized and operated by patriotic Belgian citizens, was one of the most successful of these independent escape networks. From its inception in 1940 until the liberation of Belgium in 1945, this group was responsible for the successful escape or evasion of 773 Allied Airmen and agents.
The success of the Comet Line was achieved at a cost of 216 agents executed or died in captivity, plus uncounted numbers of men and women whose health was destroyed by imprisonment or injuries. In spite of these terrible losses, no post ever went unfilled for lack of a volunteer; as leaders or agents attested, there was always someone ready to take over. From its creation to the end of its action, the Comet Line was not dependent on either the Belgian or British government. It was truly an organization of volunteers who were willing to give their lives, if necessary, to help drive out the hated Nazi conqueror from their beloved Belgium.
Some thirty years have passed since those terrible yet heroic times, but we former American Airmen say to our Belgian friends of the Comet Line, “we have not forgotten, WE WILL NEVER FORGET.”
On Friday, October 11, the group boarded two Greyhound buses for New York City, their final destination. Following their arrival in New York, the group had a three o’clock reception with the Honorable Abraham Beame, Mayor of the City of New York, where they were given a key to the city. They would be staying at the Tudor Hotel.
That evening they attended a reception at the Belgian Consul General of New York where several former evaders were in attendance. To Michou’s dismay, Gerard Papineau did not attend any of the reunion events with former evaders.
Included in the brochure for the Comet Line members was a letter from former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the supreme commander of the European Theater of Operations during World War II.
“It takes little imagination to understand the sublime quality of the courage that, during Hitler’s occupation, dedicated citizens displayed in undertaking to rescue Allied fliers downed over Europe. They undertook the work deliberately and with the certain knowledge that they were risking, not only their own lives, but those of all they held dear. This they did far from the excitement and frenzy of the battlefield; their inspiration was their patriotism, the determination to see their beloved country freed from the domination of the hated Nazis, and by their ideals of liberty and justice that they shared with the Allied fliers who were risking their own lives each time they made a sortie into Europe.
The loss of every Allied plane that was shot down over Europe was a tragedy. Every member of a crew that was found and saved and sent back to us brought joy to all comrades. To everyone who joined in this great work, and to each member of his family, and to all who shared, in those days, his risks and dangers, I send assurances of my deep and lasting gratitude.”
* * *
As the reunion came to a close, Michou found herself reaching into her pocketbook, and looked at the last address she had for Gerry as she looked up at Pierre.
“You want to go there, don’t you?” he asked with a concerned look on his face.
“It would have been nice to see him again. He is one of just a few that I really remember. Bob Grimes is the other. I’m at least glad Bob was here this weekend. But it has been thirty-one years since Gerard went over the Pyrenees and not a word since 1947. I don’t even know if he is still alive.”
“How far is it to Rhode Island from here?” she asked.
“Not so far that we can’t make a little extra stop before we go home, if you want to.”
“I don’t know what we will find when we get there, but I think I would be sorry later if we at least didn’t try.”
“I will ask the concierge at the hotel to help us make the changes for our flight home, and to get us some train tickets to Rhode Island,” Pierre said as he understood how much this meant to Michou.
They arrived in Providence at six-thirty at night and reservations had been made for them at the Biltmore Hotel, a short distance from the train station. That night, they made arrangements with the Biltmore to use one of the hotel chauffeurs to take them to Gerard’s address in Lincoln.
The following morning, they were driven to the Lincoln address at ten o’clock in the morning. Michou rang the doorbell and an elderly woman answered the door.
“Good morning, Madame, I am looking for Gerard Papineau. Does he live here?”
“You must mean Henry Papineau. He owns the building and lives upstairs. He is home. He doesn’t go out much anymore,” the woman answered.
Michou felt a sense of relief at knowing she was likely at the correct address. She climbed the stairs with Pierre following right behind her. She knocked on the door at the top of the staircase and waited. A few minutes passed as she anxiously waited for someone from inside the apartment to open the door. Finally, she could hear noise from inside and the door suddenly opened. An elderly white-haired man holding a cane appeared before them.
“Yes, what can I do for you?” he asked.
“We are looking for Gerard Papineau. My name is Micheline Dumon-Ugeux, and this is my husband, Pierre. We are from France and knew Gerard during the war.”
“Oh, my, please come in. Gerard was my nephew,” Henry replied.
“What do you mean ‘was my nephew’?” Michou asked.
“Gerry died of cancer in 1953, very sad. He left behind a young wife and four children. They were such a nice family. They moved to Cranston after Gerry died.”
Michou’s face was saddened by the news, and Pierre tried to console her.
“He could not have been thirty years old yet. Can you tell me where he is buried?”
“I can do better than that. I can take you there if you drive and then bring me back. It’s been a while since I paid my respects to him.”
“Yes, that would be nice of you. Is it far from here?” she asked.
“About twenty minutes or so. We can be there by eleven if we leave now. I could use some time outside. I don’t get out much anymore. You aren’t the one he used to call Lily are you?”
“Yes, I am Lily. It was my code name in the underground. He told you of me?”
“You were all he talked about to me when he first got back from the war in late 1943. Then, after he met Ruth, that was his wife’s name, he never said your name again. But one of his children is named Lillian, must be after you, don’t you think?”
Michou smiled and just said, “Perhaps, perhaps.”
They left in the chauffeured car and headed for the St. Jean de Baptiste Cemetery in Bellingham, Massachusetts, just over the Rhode Island line.
“It must have been dangerous trying to get all those men out of Belgium and France?” Henry asked.
“It was a terrible time. Everyone lived in fear of the Germans. Helping Allied soldiers and airmen was our only way to fight back against the Nazis. I was glad I could help people like Gerard get back home. He was a brave airman, your nephew, monsieur.”
“Did you know he received two medals after the war, and that he was shot over there?”
“I know about the arm wound. I helped him get better, but I’m not surprised to hear he received medals too,” she answered. About a mile before the cemetery, Michou spotted a flower shop and asked the chauffeur to stop. She entered the shop and quickly returned to the car carrying a small bouquet of flowers.
Shortly thereafter, the car pulled into the cemetery at eleven o’clock sharp. St. Jean de Baptiste was a relatively new cemetery, and there was only one section with tombstones, except for two gravesites in another section all by themselves.
“Those two graves are the Papineaus. Gerry’s father sold this land to the church, and part of the deal was that their graves would be located where their old farm used to sit. It seems like someone else is there today,” Henry stated as he noticed another couple standing at Gerry’s grave.
The chauffeur slowly drove to the gravesite and parked his car behind another car with Texas plates. Henry slowly got out of the car first and walked directly toward the other couple, a man in his early fifties holding a cane like his, and either his wife or a girlfriend standing beside him.
“Hello, I’m Henry Papineau, Gerry’s uncle. I thought I knew all of his friends, but I don’t think I’ve ever met you.”
“No, sir, I am a retired air gunner like Gerry was. We served on the same bomber squad for almost a year. This is my wife, Nancy, and my name is Phil, Phil Gardner.”
“I’m happy to meet you, Phil and Nancy. These two people are also here to visit Gerry’s grave. They’re from France, Michou and Pierre Ugeux. I hope I pronounced that okay?” he asked.
Michou nodded her approval.
“Phil, I hope it’s okay if I call you Phil. Did you know that Gerry received the Distinguished Service Cross from the U.S. and the Distinguished Flying Medal from the RAF when you guys were there?
“Yes, sir, I knew about the Distinguished Service Cross. Captain Huckabee and I recommended him for it after we were sent home. I guess it’s only natural that the RAF stepped up for a medal too.”
“Do you know why he got the medals?” Henry asked.
“Yes, sir, because of me, sir. I was shot in the leg very badly, and our plane was going down. He tied a tourniquet on my leg to stop the bleeding, helped me put on my parachute, and carried me to the cargo door to jump out. He didn’t have his own chute on yet, and his arm was bleeding while he was doing this, sir. There was nobody else left at the rear of the plane, and it was going down. I don’t know how he got out of there with his chute on, but he did. I wouldn’t be here today, sir, if it wasn’t for Gerry. I owe him my life. How do you repay someone for that, sir?”
Tears flowed down Phil Gardner’s cheeks as his wife tried to console him. As if by instinct, Michou came forward and she too touched Phil by the hands and said,
“He was with me for six weeks in Belgium and France before he reached Spain and the safety of the British Embassy. I too was sorry to hear of his death at such a young age.”
“You are her, aren’t you, Lily? You were all he would talk about when I met him back in London after his escape. He wanted to stay in the service in London, but the army insisted he go home, like me. He told me, ‘I don’t even know her real name, but I’d like to come back and find her one day.’”
“We both lost a dear friend, and someone I’m certain we will never forget,” Michou said as she laid the bouquet of fresh flowers at the foot of his grave.
Now she could go home.