Georges and Thrse Gondre

Benouville Bridge /Pegasus Bridge and the Gondre Caf

Georges and Thrse settled in Bnouville, owning and living

in the small caf next to the Bnouville Bridge. They had three
daughters, Georgette and Arlette, and the newly born
Franoise. The family had always been distinctly anti-German
as a consequence of Adolf Hitler's policies and the occupation
of their country. Their revulsion at how the Germans were
treating their countrymen increased and encouraged them to
more daring activities. Georges joined the local resistance and
reported German movements in the area.
Thrse, having been raised in Alsace, could speak German
fluently. She never allowed her knowledge of German to
become known, and so was able to eavesdrop on the soldiers'
conversations and inform Georges of her findings. Thrse
discovered the precise location of the trigger mechanism for
the explosives that were to demolish Bnouville Bridge in the
event of an attack.
The information collected by the Gondre family did much to
give Major Howard and his Coup de Main force a thorough
understanding of the defences around the bridges.

In early May Generalfeldmarschall Rommel inspected the bridges and

ordered that an anti-tank gun emplacement be established next to
Bnouville Bridge. Within two days, Major Howard had been warned
that some new structure was being built next to the Bridge, and
within a week Georges Gondre's observations had confirmed both
its purpose and the completion of the position.

At 00:16 on the 6th June, the first glider of the Coup de Main force
landed next to Bnouville Bridge. The Gondre Family were asleep in
their beds at this time, but were soon rudely awakened by the sound
of explosions and a great deal of small-arms outside their home.
Georges crawled to the window to see what was happening, a
perfectly understandable reaction but a most unwise one in the midst
of a battle taking place in darkness. He discovered this fact very soon
after he dared to peer over the window ledge; his protruding head
was spotted by Lieutenant Smith who immediately fired several
rounds from his sten gun at the shape. Fortunately Smith's aim was
a little high and Georges was not hurt. Georges made no further
attempt to see what was going on outside, but instead gathered his
family together and headed for the shelter of the cellar.

At dawn the family were listening to the sounds of various voices

outside. Georges was most encouraged to realise that the voices
bore no similarity to and none of the authoritativeness that he
associated with the German garrison, and he thought that he could
detect some English amongst it. Thrse listened to the voices and
could not identity any German words.
When he opened the door he found himself confronted by two
paratroopers, wearing their distinctive Dennison smocks, their
faces blackened with camouflage cream, and each holding sten
guns, still hot from firing. They spoke to him in French and asked if
there were any Germans in the house. He said that there were not
and led them inside to show him his wife and children in the cellar.
When the two men spoke in English and used the phrase denoting
the successful capture of the bridges, "Ham and Jam", Georges was
at last certain that the day of liberation had come and he burst into
tears of joy, whilst Thrse embraced and kissed the paratroopers.
She greeted all soldiers in a similar fashion for several days,
resulting in her face being blackened with the camouflage cream,
but she was too proud of her British liberators to clean it off.

Very soon the caf was taken by the 7th Battalion to serve as
their Headquarters and Regimental Aid Post. Georges
disappeared into the garden to dig up no fewer than ninetyeight bottles of champagne that he had buried in June 1940,
and very soon the scene was one of great celebration as free
drinks were handed out to all and sundry. Upon hearing of this,
Major Howard ordered all of his men to report sick at the Aid
Post so that they could get their share of the drink. Georges
continued to serve complimentary drinks to the 7th Battalion,
the Coup de Main force and the arriving Commandos
throughout the day. The kind hospitality offered to the British
soldiers by the Gondre Family continues to this day. Ever since,
when veterans have returned to Normandy to mark the
anniversary of the battle, no man of the 6th Airborne Division
has had to pay for a drink at the caf.
Georges Gondre died on the 5th April 1969, Thrse on the
2nd July 1984. A most distinguished couple, they were held in
the highest regard by French civilians and British veterans. The
ownership of the caf and its close links with the British
Airborne Forces have been maintained by their family.

Arlette Gondre-Anquetil claims to be the only true guardian

of Pegasus Bridge, one of the most revered, and visited, sites
of the D-Day beachheads. She is standing beside Prince
Charles on the day that a British, French and Europeanfunded museum was inaugurated beside Pegasus Bridge in
2000.

Veterans meet Arlette Gondree at the

Gondree Cafe. As a young girl she
was in the first house to be captured
by the British Forces when capturing
what is now the Pegasus Bridge

Airborne troops seated in an Airspeed

Horsa

British infantry crossing the Pegasus Bridge Horsa Bridge (Orne River Bridge)
Across the Caen Canal