Mounted outside of the retaining wall of the property, beside the street name sign.

Plaque

A rectangular dark plaque inscribed with a commemoration message with the names of the three members. The inscription is written in French in white lettering.

On the night of 14 to 15 August 1944, three members of the French Fighting Forces, John Bonsall, Jean Delviche, and Roger Cote, were parachuted with 24 containers into the Colonfay sector of the Aisne. Their mission was to get in touch with the local Resistance. After their arrival, Roger Cote, the radio operator, informed the headquarters that the drop had gone well. On 19 August, he reported that he had succeeded in making contact with the leader of the Resistance group, and the next day a message announced that the Resistance was well-organized, with 1,100 armed and trained men and another 4,900 unarmed.

On 21 August, the team arrived at Rugny, southeast of Soissons, where they sent other messages about targets to be bombed by Allied aircraft because of, for example, the presence of important German columns or trains. But on 25 August, the mission indicated that there were too many enemies in the area and that it was not possible to form a maquis, a guerrilla unit.

On 28 August, learning that the American tanks were heading towards Soissons, the team informed the staff of the 3rd Armoured Division about the German defenses.

On 30 August, the team was ordered to preserve the bridges from any enemy destruction for 4 days. The same day, the team crossed the lines between Laon and Froidmont. They progressed on a stormy and rainy night, disguised as French civilians with false identity papers and a borrowed cart covered with straw.

After walking some twenty kilometers, they arrived at Barenton-sur-Serre, five kilometers from their destination. However, the weather had deteriorated very quickly, making visibility very poor. As a result, the three men came face to face with three German tanks stationed at a checkpoint. The three men were immediately shot in the head by the German troops, who must have realized that they were a group of spies on a mission.

In the early morning, the villagers discovered the bodies and buried them. The Resistance then organized a military ceremony for them.

Source of information: www.liberationroute.com

Source of photos: commons.wikimedia.org, www.memorialgenweb.org

FORCES FRANCAISES COMBATTANTES

RESEAU ACTION (B.O.A.)

A LA MEMOIRE DES MEMBRES

DE LA MISSION JEDBURGH "AUGUSTUS"

MAJOR JOHN BONSALL (U.S.A.)

CAPITAINE JEAN DELVICHE (FRANCE)

SERGENT RADIO ROGER COTE (U.S.A.)

LACHEMENT ABATTUS PAR L'ENNEMI

EN CET ENDROIT LE 30 AOUT 1944

SOUVENONS-NOUS QU'ILS SONT MORTS

POUR LA LIBERATION DE LA FRANCE

English translation:

FRENCH FIGHTING FORCES

ACTION NETWORK (B.O.A.)

IN MEMORY OF THE MEMBERS

OF THE JEDBURGH "AUGUSTUS" MISSION

MAJOR JOHN BONSALL (U.S.A.)

CAPTAIN JEAN DELVICHE (FRANCE)

RADIO SERGEANT ROGER COTE (U.S.A.)

LAMENTABLY SHOT DOWN BY THE ENEMY

ON THIS SPOT ON AUGUST 30, 1944

LET US REMEMBER THAT THEY DIED

FOR THE LIBERATION OF FRANCE