Aristide

This is the story of Roger Landes - "Aristide" of F Section, Special Operations Executive - who was born in Paris of British parents and came to London in 1938, to work in the LCC's Architects Department. After being trained as a wireless operator in the Royal Signals, he was recruited into SOE, where he trained with figures such as Claude de Baissac and Harry Pueleve. Although jinxed in his attempts to parachute into France, including being "shot down" by an owl, he eventually became wireless operator in Bordeaux for the "Scientist" circuit. Just as he took over command of the circuit, he was betrayed and forced to flee, and later returned to find only one contact alive and in place. By D-Day he commanded over 5000 armed, trained resisters who disrupted transport in the region by destroying 438 locomotives and numerous power-lines. By the Liberation, he commanded more than 7000 men and had organized the peaceful transition to French government in South-West France. Ordered out of the country by de Gaulle, Landes had a spell in hospital before being parachuted into Malaya to train the population to resist the Japanese, and was there at the surrender in August 1945. Following de Gaulle's resignation he was highly decorated by the French Government, and in 1992 was made an Officer of the Legion d'Honneur. He also holds the MC and Bar, and the Croix de Guerre.