France Hamelin

France Hamelin (14 July 1918 – 9 March 2007), born France Aline Haberer, was a French artist, a militant pacifist, and a member of the French Resistance during the Second World War.

Early life France Aline Haberer was born in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, into a Huguenot family originally from Alsace. She grew up in Lot-et-Garonne, but returned to Paris with her family, and studied at the École normale supérieure de Sèvres. She joined a group influenced by the philosopher Émile Chartier, known as "Alain".

Wartime activities After the outbreak of war, Haberer, who had been studying art and philosophy at Bordeaux, joined the Resistance, where she met her future husband, Lucien Hamelin. She became more active after witnessing the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942, and began sheltering Jews in her home. Along with Lucien, she was arrested in August 1943, but escaped deportation initially because she was pregnant. Lucien was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp, while she was held at the La Roquette Prisons. There she began writing and drawing, her theme is the daily life of the female prisoners.