Henri Maillot
Encyclopedia
Henri François Maillot was a pied noir member of the Algerian Communist Party
and participated in the Algerian War. In 1956, Maillot deserted from his military unit, taking with him an important stock of arms and ammunition for the guerrillas. He was killed in a battle against French forces near Orléansville
two months later.
, Maillot was the son of a municipal employee who had once been secretary
general of the Communist-dominated Municipal Employees' Union. He became secretary-general of the Union de la Jeunesse Démocratique Algérienne, a Communist-front organization, and was employed as an accountant by the Communist daily, Alger Républicain
. He also represented Algeria at youth congresses in Prague
and Warsaw
. However, when he volunteered for active service in the French Army, Maillot had sworn that he had severed all ties with the party.
On April 4, 1956, Maillot commanded a convoy which escorted an army truck loaded with arms and ammunition that left Miliana
at dawn and headed for Algiers, seventy-four miles to the northeast. The truck arrived a little before 9:00 AM. When the men of the escort went to breakfast, Maillot climbed into the cab of the truck and ordered the driver, Private Jacques Domergue, to drive to a wood at Bainem just west of the city. When the vehicle was later recovered, Domergue was found tied to a tree but Maillot had disappeared and, with him, the cargo of light machine guns, rifles, pistols, and a stock of hand grenades. Two days later, a statement issued by the Combattants de la Libération
(Freedom Fighters), the Communist guerrilla organization, announced that Maillot had joined the "resistance forces"; it also contained a list of the stolen weapons. On May 18, Maillot himself sent a mimeographed statement to his former comrades in the 504th Transport Battalion, to the police, and to the press. In it, he explained that in joining the
ranks of the "fighting Algerians," he had responded to his party's call—the underground Communist paper, Liberté, had ordered party members to "procure in every possible way arms for the forces engaged in the struggle for the liberation of Algeria".
The main newspaper in Algiers, L'Echo d'Alger declared that this was "new proof of the collusion between the Communist Party and the terrorists" . Maillot was tried in absentia on May 22, 1956 by a tribunal which sentenced him to death.
On June 5, 1956, an armed band was sighted near Lamartine, east of Orléansville, an area which had not previously contained guerillas. The group was pursued by a security unit and was attacked outside the Muslim village of Boudouane. Seven members of the group were killed, among them two pied-noir. When the henna-dyed hair and eyebrows of one of these were dyed black, he was recognized as Henri Maillot. The other pied-noir was Maurice Laban
, a founding member of the Algerian Communist Party who was born at Biskra
and was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
.
In 2002, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
inaugurated a Stele
in his memory.
Algerian Communist Party
The Algerian Communist Party was a communist party in Algeria. The PCA emerged in 1920 as an extension the French Communist Party and eventually became a separate entity in 1936 ....
and participated in the Algerian War. In 1956, Maillot deserted from his military unit, taking with him an important stock of arms and ammunition for the guerrillas. He was killed in a battle against French forces near Orléansville
Chlef
Chlef is the capital of Chlef Province, Algeria. It is home to the soccer club ASO Chlef, the Hassiba Ben Bouali university, and the basilica of Saint Reparatus, which is home to the oldest Christian labyrinth in the world....
two months later.
Biography
Born in AlgiersAlgiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Maillot was the son of a municipal employee who had once been secretary
general of the Communist-dominated Municipal Employees' Union. He became secretary-general of the Union de la Jeunesse Démocratique Algérienne, a Communist-front organization, and was employed as an accountant by the Communist daily, Alger Républicain
Alger républicain
Alger républicain is an Algerian newspaper founded in 1938, and intermittently published ever since. It is close to the Algerian communist movement, without having been an official party publication. The paper was edited by the French-Algerian communist and anti-colonial activist Henri Alleg from...
. He also represented Algeria at youth congresses in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. However, when he volunteered for active service in the French Army, Maillot had sworn that he had severed all ties with the party.
On April 4, 1956, Maillot commanded a convoy which escorted an army truck loaded with arms and ammunition that left Miliana
Miliana
Miliana is a town in Ain Defla Province, northwestern Algeria. It is approximately 160 km southwest of the Algerian capital, Algiers. The population was estimated at 40,000 in 2005...
at dawn and headed for Algiers, seventy-four miles to the northeast. The truck arrived a little before 9:00 AM. When the men of the escort went to breakfast, Maillot climbed into the cab of the truck and ordered the driver, Private Jacques Domergue, to drive to a wood at Bainem just west of the city. When the vehicle was later recovered, Domergue was found tied to a tree but Maillot had disappeared and, with him, the cargo of light machine guns, rifles, pistols, and a stock of hand grenades. Two days later, a statement issued by the Combattants de la Libération
Combattants de la Libération
Les Combattants de la Libération , also known as Le Maquis Rouge, were a guerrilla group established by theAlgerian Communist Party after the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence....
(Freedom Fighters), the Communist guerrilla organization, announced that Maillot had joined the "resistance forces"; it also contained a list of the stolen weapons. On May 18, Maillot himself sent a mimeographed statement to his former comrades in the 504th Transport Battalion, to the police, and to the press. In it, he explained that in joining the
ranks of the "fighting Algerians," he had responded to his party's call—the underground Communist paper, Liberté, had ordered party members to "procure in every possible way arms for the forces engaged in the struggle for the liberation of Algeria".
The main newspaper in Algiers, L'Echo d'Alger declared that this was "new proof of the collusion between the Communist Party and the terrorists" . Maillot was tried in absentia on May 22, 1956 by a tribunal which sentenced him to death.
On June 5, 1956, an armed band was sighted near Lamartine, east of Orléansville, an area which had not previously contained guerillas. The group was pursued by a security unit and was attacked outside the Muslim village of Boudouane. Seven members of the group were killed, among them two pied-noir. When the henna-dyed hair and eyebrows of one of these were dyed black, he was recognized as Henri Maillot. The other pied-noir was Maurice Laban
Maurice Laban
Maurice Laban , a pied-noir, was a founding member of the Algerian Communist Party . In 1936, he joined the International Brigades to fight in the Spanish Civil War ....
, a founding member of the Algerian Communist Party who was born at Biskra
Biskra
Biskra is the capital city of Biskra province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 207,987.During Roman times the town was called Vescera, though this may have been simply a Latin transliteration of the native name. Around 200 AD under Septimius Severus' reign, it was seized by the...
and was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
In 2002, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the ninth President of Algeria. He has been in office since 1999. He continued emergency rule until 24 February 2011, and presided over the end of the bloody Algerian Civil War in 2002...
inaugurated a Stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
in his memory.