“This unassuming street holds a secret” I whisper to my tour group. We stand before Rue Henri Chevalier. This isn’t just any Lyon street. It’s named for a remarkable man.
Henri Chevalier a Lyon printer was far more than that. He was a Resistance hero. His story unfolds within the very fabric of this city. He lived in a time of darkness. World War II cast a long shadow. Yet Henri refused to surrender to defeat.
He was a master printer. His father Joseph ran a printing and stationery shop. It was at 40 Cours de la Liberté. It had been established in 1885. The shop produced all kinds of printed materials including catalogues. They also sold office supplies. They even made their own registers.
Henri like his father was a Radical Socialist and a Freemason. This played a role in his life. The Secret Societies Service kept files on them. Their political beliefs guided their actions. This was especially important during the Occupation.
Following the Armistice Henri started small. He printed slogans on gummed paper strips. He pasted them everywhere. Tramways bridges even lampposts bore his messages. He wanted to awaken consciences. His friend Georges Dunoir joined him. They made more elaborate pamphlets. They enlisted others. Pierre Harry a typesetter helped them. Soon Marcel Chapelle Henri Villard Francisque Babey and Edouard Ehni were involved.
Chevalier was part of the Masonic Committee of the Resistance. It was founded in Lyon in 1941. It helped people escape to Switzerland. It gave material aid. It planned for the return of Freemasonry after the war.
In 1941 clandestine newspapers flourished. Combat needed printing capacity. Henri Chevalier became one of their key printers. René Cerf-Ferrière contacted Chevalier. Jean Demachy provided the composition and supplies. Later Franc-Tireur another Resistance movement asked for his help. Antoine Avinin a founder was the intermediary. Even Libération and communist tracts passed through his presses. Only Témoignage Chrétien seems to have escaped his work.
Chevalier and Dunoir also started their own newspaper Le Coq Enchaîné in March 1942. It quickly reached 30000 copies. Their work attracted the attention of the Gestapo.
On February 4 1944 the Gestapo raided his workshop. They found only an envelope. Inside were six false identity cards. Chevalier was arrested. He was interrogated at the Gestapo headquarters. Then he was sent to Montluc prison. He was deported to Mauthausen. He survived the horrors. He returned in 1945 weighing only 36 kilos.
His shop had been looted. He had to rebuild his life. He was awarded the Medal of the Resistance. He received the Croix de Guerre the Legion of Honour and the “Mort pour la France” mention. He was also named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 2017. His story lives on. This small street honors his incredible courage and sacrifice. A fitting tribute to a remarkable man.