Lucien Gonnetan 1888 - 1945

Born 13.11.1888 in Lyon
Died 26.2.1945 in Gusen

Biography

Lucien Gonnetan was born on 13 November 1888 in Lyon (4th district). Married to Marthe Van Minden, he was wounded in battle during the First World War. Lucien was father of 2 children, Maxime, born in 1922, and Jean, born in 1930. He has been working for almost 20 years as a typographer to the Lyon-based newspaper ‘Le Progrès’. Member, among others, of the ‘Nicolas Buck’ resistance network group, he was denounced by a neighbour and arrested by the Gestapo on 1st July 1943 with his wife at their address, 25 rue Auguste Comte (Lyon – 2nd district). This is where the couple hid Henri Frenay. Accused of “production of false identity”, Lucien Gonnetan was interned to Montluc Prison in Lyon, transferred in Fresnes Prison on 25th August, then to Compiègne in April before being deported to Mauthausen in the convoy of 6th April 1944 under the registration number 62472. Assigned to the Gusen Camp on 28th April (Block D room B), he worked as a skilled worker on machines at block 12 of the Steyr factory. He died of hunger, bad treatments and dysentery. He was cremated in the crematory oven of Gusen II on 27th February 1944. Deported resistant Lucien Gonnetan received posthumously the ‘Légion d’Honneur’ for his role as a liaison officer and for “participating to the escape of numerous patriots imprisoned in Lyon prisons”.

Jacqueline, Agnès &  Bernard Gonnetan - grandchildren and family

Location In room