Figure 1.--Here we see de Gualle with his youngest daughter, Anne. She was severely handicapped. Hee we see thm at thebeah about 1932. At the time severely retarded cidren werw often instituionaloed. Not Anne. She was alway an imprtant part of the family. From the very beginning Mdme. de Gaulle was never separated from her handicapped daughter. De Gaulle surely because of her disability was also absolutely devoted to his daughter.

The de Gualles had three children: Philippe (1921- ), Élisabeh (1924–2013), and Anne (1928–1948). Philippe, a student when the War brokee out, served with Free French forces during World War II. He served in the Navy, largely because in 1940 with the fall of France, the French Navy had some of the few operational forces that joined De Gualle and the Free French. After D-Day he served with a Narine armored Division. Elizabeth after the War Élisabeth married Alain de Boissieu (1946). Boissieu was a Free French commander who served in many of the important battles during the War. Anne's severe Down's syndrome was diagnosed a few months after birth. At the time severely retarded cidren werw often instituionaloed. Not Anne. She was alway an imprtant part of the family. From the very beginning Mdme. de Gaulle was never separated from her handicapped daughter. De Gaulle surely because of her disability was also absolutely devoted to his daughter. A neigbor in Colombey recalls how he used to walk with her hand-in-hand around the grounds of their home. He would tenderly caress her and they would talk about the things she could understood. This is a side of De Gaulle not often portrayed. Anne died of pneumonia after the War. She was only 20 years old. Mdme. de Gualle established a charity, La fondation Anne-de-Gaulle, to aid children with disabilities.

Created: 11:13 AM 11/8/2016
Last updated: 11:14 AM 11/8/2016