The British contribution to the Resistance: an early and lasting invisibilisation

This article examines the memory of the British contribution to the French Resistance during the Second World War. Despite its significant and multifaceted nature, and the strong solidarity that it fostered on the ground, this contribution was quickly and permanently relegated to oblivion on the French side, and unevenly celebrated on the British side. Even before the end of the military operations, the sudden return of national interest led to a “de-alliance”, with mistrust between yesterday’s Allies crystallising around issues of sovereignty. This paper looks at this sudden relegation of cooperation through two case studies: the story of the Hadfield-Spears hospital, which illustrates its medical aspect, and that of the British agents sent to occupied France, which looks at its military and clandestine dimensions. The aim is to show how this turnaround came about, to put it into context, and to explain why and how it led to a lasting invisibilisation of the British contribution to the Resistance.