Raymond Delaporte

Raymond Delaporte (September 13, 1907 – November 7, 1990) was a Breton nationalist activist and lawyer. He supported the Breton language and was involved in collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a strong Catholic and led the Bleun-Brug group and the Breton National Party.

 Early life 
Raymond Delaporte was born on September 13, 1907, in Châteauneuf-du-Faou, Finistère, France. His father was a lawyer from a local noble family, and his mother was the daughter of a doctor and mayor. They were well-known in the area. His mother died shortly after giving birth to his younger brother in 1912. Raymond had two brothers, Hervé (born 1909) and Yves (born 1912).

 Political activity 
Delaporte studied law at the University of Angers and became a lawyer in Châteaulin. He was a scholar of Celtic culture. In 1928, he joined the Breton Autonomist Party. When it split in 1931, he joined the Breton National Party (PNB). He left the PNB in 1937 because he thought Olier Mordrel was too extreme. In 1938, he became president of Bleun-Brug, a group that promoted Breton culture and Catholicism. He also led Breuriez ar Brezoneg er Skoliou, which worked to teach the Breton language in schools.

 Breton National Party 
In December 1940, Delaporte became leader of the PNB after Mordrel resigned. He led the party until August 1944, with help from his brothers Hervé and Yves. Delaporte tried to keep the PNB neutral between Nazi Germany and the Vichy government. As a Catholic, he worked to lift the church’s 1940 ban on Breton nationalists. His brother Hervé, a doctor, treated injured Resistance fighters in Châteauneuf-du-Faou.

In 1941, Delaporte wrote in the PNB newspaper L'Heure bretonne. He criticized Vichy for demanding total obedience and said Bretons should work with other European peoples.L’Heure Bretonne, issue 67, October 18, 1941. He supported Germany’s fight against the Soviet Union, saying a Breton government would have joined Germany from the start.L’Heure Bretonne, issue 51, June 28, 1941. He also wrote that the Breton race needed protection.

In March 1943, Delaporte wrote that he wanted an autonomous Breton state within France, showing a more moderate view than extremists like Célestin Lainé. In October 1943, he stopped funding Lainé’s “Service spécial,” which became the Bezen Perrot group.

 Exile 
At the end of World War II, Delaporte hid in Paris and then fled to Ireland, where he taught in Cork. His brother Yves hid in Scotland. Both were sentenced to 20 years of forced labor in absentia but were later cleared in court. Delaporte returned to France and told a military court that the PNB stayed neutral and was only tolerated by Germany, not supported.

 Later life and death 
Delaporte returned to Châteauneuf-du-Faou and continued supporting the Breton language. He wrote dictionaries to help translate between Breton and English. He died on November 7, 1990, in his hometown.

 Publications 
 War Du ar Pal, a magazine started in 1938 with his brothers.
 Geriadur bihan brezhoneg-saozneg ha saozneg-brezhoneg (Small Breton-English Dictionary), 1985.
 Geriadur brezhoneg-saozneg gant skouerioù (Breton-English Dictionary with Examples), 1986–1993, three volumes.

 References 

 Further reading