Charles Brunier

Charles Brunier (31 May 1901 – 26 January 2007) was a French convicted murderer and veteran of both the First and Second World Wars, who claimed in 2005 to have been the inspiration for Papillon. Circumstantial evidence, including his butterfly tattoo and him having been on Devil's Island at the time, supported the claim.[1]

Charles Brunier
Born(1901-05-31)31 May 1901
Paris, France
Died26 January 2007(2007-01-26) (aged 105)
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
OccupationSoldier / Criminal
Known forPapillon

Biography

Born in Paris, Brunier served in Syria in 1918 and was wounded in action, also receiving the Croix de Guerre for saving a lieutenant's life. In 1923, however, he was accused of murder and armed robbery, and later convicted;[2] his military medals were revoked as a result, and he was not on the official list of French World War I veterans although he did serve.

Brunier was sent to the penal colony off the coast of French Guiana. After the outbreak of World War II he escaped to Mexico and joined the Free French Forces as a fighter pilot, serving in the Battle of the Caribbean for two years before transferring to the infantry under Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, and also in Africa (where Charles de Gaulle personally decorated him) and Italy; he was imprisoned again after the war, but released in 1948 in recognition of his services.[1]

In 1992, Brunier moved into an old people's home in the suburbs of the French capital,[3] where he lived until his death in 2007 at the age of 105.[4]

See also

References
  1. On a retrouvé l'ancien bagnard qui prétend être Papillon (We found the former convict who claims to be Papillon); Le Parisien, 17 December 2005 (in French)
  2. The real Papillon (translation of newspaper article); Rue Rude, 17 December 2005
  3. Papillon alive and well in a Paris retirement home; Mail & Guardian, 26 June 2005
  4. Charles Brunier emporte avec lui le secret de Papillon (Charles Brunier takes Papillon secret to the grave with him); Le Parisien, 29 January 2007 (in French)
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