British SOE Hero Major Andrew Croft Honoured in Montpellier
On the Place des Martyrs de la Résistance in Montpellier, a small memorial stone now marks a significant chapter of Anglo-French history. During the commemorations of May 8, 2026, Julia Korner, an art consultant from London, stood over the newly installed “pavé de mémoire” dedicated to her father, Major Andrew Croft. For the first time on French soil, the man who transitioned from a polar explorer to a key figure in the liberation of this southern city has been formally recognised by the local community he helped free.
Major Croft was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the clandestine unit often referred to as “Churchill’s secret army.” His arrival in the Hérault region in August 1944 was part of Operation Snow White, a mission designed to disrupt German retreats following the Allied landings in Provence. Accompanied by a small commando unit, Croft was parachuted into the rugged heights of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, where he was met by members of the Bir Hakeim maquis, a renowned French Resistance group.
A Legacy Carved in Stone
The ceremony in Montpellier served as a poignant bridge between the past and present. Julia Korner, who travelled from London specifically for the event, placed small French and British flags upon her father’s memorial stone. The “pavé de mémoire” initiative in Montpellier aims to ensure that the individuals who fought against Nazism—many of whom were previously unrecognised in the city’s official topography—are remembered by name in the very streets they walked during the liberation.
Mayor Michaël Delafosse, who hosted the Korner family, emphasised the deep-rooted connection between the two nations. He recalled how Croft, an officer with a distinct British accent, was welcomed as a hero on the Place de la Comédie when the city was finally liberated on August 25, 1944. The Mayor noted that while Croft’s contributions were well-documented in his own memoirs and within British military circles, this memorial marks his first formal public honour within France.
From the Arctic to the Maquis
To understand the man behind the memorial, one must look to his life before the war. Andrew Croft was a seasoned polar explorer, a background that provided the resilience and navigational expertise required for high-stakes sabotage missions behind enemy lines. In the Hérault, he worked alongside François Rouan, known by the codename “Montaigne,” to revitalise the Bir Hakeim maquis following the devastating losses they suffered at the Battle of La Parade.
Under Croft’s guidance, the commando unit and the local resistance fighters engaged in a series of ambushes and sabotages against the 11th Panzer Division. Their goal was to prevent German forces from successfully retreating through the secondary roads of Languedoc toward the Rhône Valley. This collaboration between a British officer and French maquisards remains a textbook example of the SOE’s strategic success in coordinating local resistance with Allied objectives.
Preserving the Memory for Future Generations
The visit was also marked by a symbolic exchange of history. Julia Korner, who co-founded the Andrew Croft Memorial Fund following her father’s death in 1998, presented Mayor Delafosse with a book titled SOE Operation Snow White. The volume contains previously unpublished documents detailing the mission’s specifics. In return, she received a commemorative edition of the local newspaper, Midi Libre, featuring a full-page spread on her father’s exploits.
This act of remembrance was facilitated by Gary Lawrence, a British expatriate living in Montpellier. Lawrence acted as a “memory scout,” connecting the city’s social media outreach regarding its liberation history with the Croft family in the UK. His involvement highlights the role of the modern British community in France in maintaining the historical ties that bind the two countries.
As the ceremonies concluded at the city’s Monument aux Morts, the presence of the British flags alongside the French Tricolour served as a reminder of a shared victory. For Julia Korner, the timing of the tribute on May 8—VE Day—was, as she described it, “the icing on the cake,” ensuring that her father’s name is now permanently etched into the landscape of the city he helped return to peace.
Original reporting by: kosmopolit.fr
Source: En Commun – Montpellier
