- Contributed by
- Peoples War Team in the East Midlands
- People in story:
- Michelle Vasseur (written by Doreen Cave)
- Location of story:
- Peron, France
- Background to story:
- Civilian
- Article ID:
- A4001860
- Contributed on:
- 04 May 2005
"This story was submitted to the site by the BBC's Peoples War Team in the East Midlands with Doreen Caves permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"
My friend Michelle was a child during the war living in France, living with her parents in Peron. During the war they were a safe house for airmen. Michelle at the time would have been about 10 or 11 and she had to play the piano if any Germans came to the house, in order to tell the hiding airmen to be quite. She had to play Fleur de Lice. One day the Gestapo chief came to the house and she missed every note — she just couldn’t play it properly. The Gestapo chief threw her off the piano stool and said “don’t you dare offend our people by playing so badly”. He then proceeded to play it through properly - thus signalling the airmen he was actually looking for to stay quite.
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