Last winter, I discovered that there was a file on my Uncle Paul Lubinski (my grandfather's younger brother) in the UK National Archives. I requested a file search and then paid to have the file digitized and sent to me.
It turns out he worked for the S.O.E. (I thought he'd been in the RAF), was a radio/teletype operator, a paratrooper (at 5'5" tall!) and he was sent on at least one secret mission to Germany in 1945.
He had at least two different aliases, and a couple of code names ("Ironside" and "The Termite"). Most of the file is in English, but there are a few pages in French, and I just translated one of them: it's the cover story for one of Uncle Paul's fake identities. Whoa. How cool is that?!?
Confusingly, the cover story was dated in August of 1944, when he was still in SOE training, which he completed in November of 1944. So I don't know if the cover story was just used for training purposes, or if it was never used at all.
Either way, it's a weird blend of fake, real, and similar.
- In real life, he was a mechanical engineer like my grandfather, and in the cover story, he was an electrician.
- His birthdate was the same in real life and in the cover story.
- His mother's first name is Micheline in both real life and in his cover story, but her maiden name is in the story is fake (though similar to other family names).
- His father's real name was Herman, but was Henri in the cover story.
- In his cover story, his parents had been born in Belgium and had already died. In real life, they were born in Poland and were naturalized Belgian Citizens and his father at least was still alive. His mother may also have still been alive (though she did die before the end of the war).
- In real life he had been born in Poland, but in the cover story, he had been born in Belgium (in real life, his family returned to Belgium when he was a child).
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NAME: LEBEQUE
SQUAD:
DATE: 28.8.44
PRELIMINARY COVER SKETCH
1. IDENTITY false true
Name: XXXXX Paul LEFABVRE
15 av. de France (Frankrijklei)
ANTWERP.
Place and date of birth: 18.2.1918
Identity card Commune of: ETTERBEEK
Issued on: 40
(see details attached)
Family details: (in case of false identity)
Father: Henri LEFEBVRE (Courtier d'Ase.) born in CHARLEROI, died in BRUSSELS in 1939 aged 58 years. He worked for S.A. Le Phéniz.
Mother: Micheline born TELLFELD in ANTWERP and died in ANTWERP aged 56.
He is unmarried.
2. YOUR PRE-WAR LIFE:
In 1925 your parents moved to BRUSSELS at 19 Av. del la Chasse, ETTERBEEK.
1926-1936 Collège St. Michel, Bd. St. Michel, ETTERBEEK.
1936-1939 University of Brussels (Provide real details yourself)
1938 No Military Service "Sursis" because of your studies.
After your father's death you left the University and worked atxx E. DE RYCK (Radio-Depannage) 195 Av. de TERVUEREN 1939 you and your xxxx xxxxxxxx to xxxxxxxxxxx to:-.
3. YOUR LIFE FROM 1940 UNTIL YOUR DEPARTURE FROM BELGIUM:
43 AV. EDOUARD DE THIBAULT - ETTERBEEK.
4. YOUR JOURNEY FROM BELGIUM:
May 14, 1940 Left by train passing through AMIENS - ROUEN - LE MANS - TOURS - VIERZON - LIMOGES - MONTAUBAN - TOULOUSE.
5. YOUR STAY ABROAD:
June, 1940 - November, 1942 in TOULOUSE staying with friends M.L. BARLANGUE, (electrician) 30 rue Caraman.
December, 1940 - November, 1942 worked Ets. PEROURET (electricians) 23 Allée Jean-Jaurès. TOULOUSE.
November, 1942 - March, 1944 with M. Falabrègue - route d'Avignon, Châteaurenard-Provence, in a farmhouse.
6. YOUR TRIP BACK TO BELGIUM:
March, 1944 back to Belgium AVIGNON - VALENCE - LYON - DIJON - PARIS (G. de Lyon) - PARIS (G. de l'Est) - MEAUX - REIMS - MEZIERES - CHARLEVILLE GIVET. (Clandestine passage between GIVET and Heer-Agimont.
Returned to the same address in ETTERBEEK, staying with your mother's friends: Mme. Vervaone.
Worked from May, 1944 - “X” September, 1944 in the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare attached to the “Special Mutual Fund for Family Allowances for Trade and Itinerant Crafts, Hawking and Professions exercised by Showmen, 12 rue de la Presse, BRUSSELS.
NOTE:
If you consider that a change needs to be made to this project, you must inform us within 10 days of receipt of this sheet. In the absence of such notice, the detailed text of your cover will be prepared as outlined above.
