An exhibition devoted to railway workers’ commitment during the Second World War
Produced in 2005 by the Fondation de la Résistance and the Musée de la Libération de Paris – Musée Maréchal Leclerc – Musée Jean Moulin, with the participation and support of SNCF and in cooperation with Rails et histoire, the exhibition “Les Cheminots dans la Résistance” (“Railway Workers in the Resistance”) traces railway workers’ commitment during the Second World War.
50 panels to tell the story of a commitment
The exhibition presents:
- the context of SNCF in occupied France;
- the different forms of commitment to the Resistance;
- the daily life of railway workers confronted with war and repression.
It draws on extensive research and numerous documents, many previously unpublished, coming notably from the SNCF archives, the Archives de France, museums and private collections.
A travelling exhibition
Designed under the direction of a scientific committee bringing together specialists in the Resistance and railway history, the exhibition has been shown in many French towns and cities, from Paris to Saint-Omer, including Mulhouse, Bordeaux, Tergnier and Thouars.
To mark the 70th anniversary of the Liberation, 25 panels from the exhibition were installed in 2015 on the railings of Gare de Paris-Est, in 2025.
An exhibition extended by a book
The research carried out for the exhibition also led to the publication, in 2011, of the book Les Cheminots dans la Résistance, by Cécile Hochard, published by Éditions La Vie du Rail with the support of SNCF.
