On 31 January 1944, officers Salomon, Mazouin, and Cabanetos
under command of Adjutant Le Papu,
from the Fontanay-le-Comte station,
in the Sainte-Hermine Brigade
and under instructions from the Prefect,
according to the decree of Jan 20 1944
called at 2.30 in the morning
at the living quarters of Martin Rozen
in a property owned by Mme Bobières née Meunier
in the village of Sainte-Hermine in the Vendée, in western France.
The officers say in their report that Martin Rozen opened the door. They took him and drove him to the station.
Martin Rozen, the report goes on,
was born on 18 August 1890
at Krosniewice in Poland. He was a jeweller
son of Jonas and Rachel. He was naturalised
French, Jewish race.
1 metre 62 in height,
brown eyes
oval face
straight nose
regular mouth
dressed in yellow cotton trousers and grey cotton jacket
wearing a Basque beret and low-heeled shoes.
He had a scar on his left cheek.
He was taken to the Parish Hall at La Roche-sur-Yon where he met up with 30 other Jews taken that night.
They were taken to the train station, put on a wagon for La Rochelle, then Poitiers, then Drancy internment camp. From there he was taken to Paris Bobigny, put on Convoy 68 on February 10 and taken to Auschwitz.
On March 28 1944,
Mme Bobières wrote to the Prefect of the Vendée at
Roche-sur-Yon informing him that the ‘Feldgendarmerie’ and the ‘Gendarmerie’ came to her house on January 31st and took Mr Rosen, of Jewish nationality, who had been staying in her house for more than a year.
A wicker basket containing some linen belonging to Mr Rosen had been left in the room, which had been sealed up by the Gendarmes.
In this room, Mme Bobières writes, "is my furniture, including a large cupboard, containing things that are indispensable for my personal use: sheets, clothes, linen, blankets and family papers.
Besides that, Rosen’s brother-in-law who lives in the next room, and who is French, would look after the wicker basket, which is the only piece of furniture belonging to Rosen.
I am 71 years old and infirm. I have the honour of soliciting your goodwill in taking off the seals to this room.
I thank you, Monsieur Le Préfet and hope you will accept my respectful compliments.
Mme Bobières."
On the 15 April
the Prefect informed Mme Bobières that she would only be able to take the seals off as and when the Occupation authorities would allow it.
Martin Rozen is my father’s uncle.
He didn’t return from Auschwitz.
His name is engraved on the commemorative wall at the
Museum of the Shoah in Paris.
