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The Mutual Aid Society of the Companions of the Liberation

The Mutual Aid Society of the Companions of the Liberation is an association of the type established by the Law of 1901. It was created on February 7th, 1948, and approved by the State on May 11th, 1967.

Its Mission

Its aim is to "maintain close ties between the Companions of the Liberation and to provide them with an effective service that will help them defend their moral and material interests, and those of the Companions who are deceased". The statutes were modified in 1998 to make them compliant with the model recommended by the Council of State (Official Bulletin of the French Republic, 30 June 1998).

Its Members

Members of the Society must be Companions of the Liberation or direct descendants of a Companion. The yearly membership fee is 4 Euros. Members of the Society are also asked to make a voluntary contribution to the Society's budget according to their financial capability. In addition to providing financial support, they are responsible for electing the members of the Council of the Society. It is also each individual's duty to help other members to the best of their ability if help were needed.

The Council of the Society and its Board

Taking into account that there are few members who can be present at the General Meetings, approximately fifty of them, who have the right to 250 votes, elect the 8 to 12 members of the Council of the Society. The Council also has a representative of the families, who is not elected, but rather, coopted. The Council is renewed by thirds; because of the aging group of Companions it becomes more and more difficult to ensure this renewal as the years go by.

The elected members then form their Board. The current members of the Board are : Mr. Gérard Théodore, President; M. André Quelen, Secretary; M. Robert Saunal, Treasurer; M. Jean-Pierre Mallet, Assistant Treasurer. All of these functions are taken up on a strictly voluntary basis. The Council meets once every quarter. They go over an average of fifty cases per year; these are mainly pointed out to the social worker of the Chancellery of the Order of the Liberation, Ms. Eideliman, who then sends them to the Society. The social worker provides the link with the Society and consults with the President. The latter keeps in touch with the descendants, as it is his duty to keep up this kind of relationship with them.

Its Duties and Activities

• The main duty of the Society is to provide financial aid to the Companions, their widows and, in exceptional cases, to their descendants. This financial aid is provided on a quarterly basis, by means of grants or loans. It is the role of the Council to prevent this financial aid from being granted only to a "regular clientele", and to prevent that individuals who deserve the aid do not come forward because of modesty or timidity. The number of quarterly grants and loans remains stable (about thirty).
• The Society also helps families in their job-searching efforts. This activity, which today only involves the children and grandchildren of Companions, is quite a difficult task and gets only limited results. However, the number of individuals who receive some of this "non-financial" aid, which also involves health issues, is on the rise. Help provided in the area of health issues is important because it helps perpetuate solidarity among members.
• The Society also gets involved, insofar as it is able to, with a variety of administrative bodies and the City of Paris to help with housing issues.
• Since 1994, the Society is also involved in the burial sites of the deceased Companions. It keeps and regularly updates an alphabetical and geographic list. And the Society regularly brings to the attention of municipal administrations tombs that need care or maintenance in order to prevent them from reverting back to the State.
• Thee Society also hands out discount slips for the SNCF, the French national train company.
• Every year in November, the anniversary month of the founding of the Order of the Liberation, the Society traditionally sent a small committee to rekindle the flame at the Arc of Triumph. In June, the Association again rekindles the flame during a more formal ceremony, organized in conjunction with the Veterans' Association of the 1st Free French Division (D.F.L. is the French abbreviation). As of 2001, only the June event exists.
• The annual General Meeting of the Society takes place in March, and the members meet for a sit-down meal in March and November.
• The activities report of the Society is also printed in the newletter of the Chancellery of the Order.
  
  

Son budget

The annual budget is about 475,000 French Francs. Part of the money comes in the form of subsidies from the Cities of Paris, Nantes and Grenoble, the Defense Ministry, the National War Veterans Bureau, and from the Association of the Head-and-Face Injured (formerly known as "Gueules Cassées", or "Busted up Faces"). One third of the budget comes from voluntary contributions from the Companions. The Chancellery of the Order of the Liberation can also use part of its budget to contribute to the Society's quarterly grants and loans.

Its Future

As the Companions of the Liberation slowly disappear, the future of the Society appears uncertain. Opinions vary widely: some say, "once they're all dead, there will be nothing left to do", and others say, "in any case there will always be something to do". Right now, the Society is focusing on reassigning its missions: the ceremonies, the memory, the tombs, etc., will eventually be taken on by the National Council of Companion Communities ; financial aid will eventually be taken on by the Association of the Head-and-Face Injured.

Last updated: october 28th, 2001
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