| 1. | Aime Pierre Duval was born on 30 May 1920 in Redon, Brittany, France; died on 6 Mar 2009 in Glastonbury, Somerset, England, UK; was buried on 19 Mar 2009 in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England, UK. Other Events and Attributes:
- Military Award: Croix de Guerre (with Gold Star)
- Military Service: Between 1943 and 1944; Special Air Service
Notes:
Military Award:
Award no. 35556
Died:
Decorated war hero dies aged 88
A Chilcompton resident of 50 years and holder of the Croix de Guerre, Aim? Pierre Duval has died at the age of 88.
Born on a farm in 1920 in Brittany, he was the eldest of 10 children and, in his early teens, was sent to a Roman Catholic seminary to prepare for the priesthood.
However, much to his parents' disappointment, he soon left and joined the French Merchant Navy as a steward on a cruise ship.
The onset of the Second World War changed his life when his ship was impounded in Marseilles by the Germans. He managed to get to Scotland, where he joined the Free French Army and trained as a parachutist in various parts of Britain.
It was at Aylesbury that he met Edna Peel, a teacher from Midsomer Norton; they married at Norton Down Methodist Church in March 1944 and lived initially at Fosseway.
In June 1944, Mr Duval was parachuted into France and took part in harassing operations on convoys and enemy detachments during the German retreat from Brittany. These actions earned him the Croix de Guerre with Gold Star.
Mr Duval and his wife settled in Chilcompton in 1959, where he greatly enjoyed tending his large garden, planting woodland trees, which grew to maturity in his time there. Most of his working life was spent at Clark's shoe factory.
His other interests included a love of the local countryside, which was often the subject of his paintings, and learning to sail on Chew Valley Lake.
Mr Duval's wife died in 2003, marking the end of 59 years of marriage. He coped alone with the help of neighbours until recent years, when he moved to Glastonbury Care Home.
His funeral took place at Norton Down Methodist Church, with a eulogy by his nephew, Andrew Poyner, recording that Mr Duval was a brave man who fought for the liberation of his country, a man of many talents and who will be remembered with great affection.
Marlene Pickford
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Aime married Florence Edna Peel in 1944 in Wells, Somerset, England, UK. Florence (daughter of Clifford John Peel and Alice Louisa Hobbs) was born on 10 Dec 1912 in Clutton, Somerset, England, UK; died in 2003 in Mendip, Somerset, England, UK. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1920 - 2009 (88 years)