Solange Lamblin

Solange Lamblin was born in Marcq-en-Baroeul on 8 March 1900. Her father was a tailor and her mother a shopkeeper. From 1912 to 1918, Solange Lamblin was a pupil at Tourcoing secondary school. In 1918, she enrolled at the Lille Faculty of Arts to study for a degree in English and subsequently sit the agrégation competitive teaching exam, which she passed in 1928.

During her studies, Solange Lamblin was a correspondent in Bedfordshire, England. Initially an English teacher in secondary and university education, she later became involved in politics with the women’s section of the Parti démocrate populaire (People’s Democratic Party).

She joined the Forces françaises combattantes (French Fighting Forces) in 1942. Committed until 1944, she did not hesitate to hide Jews, Resistance fighters, draft dodgers and parachutists in her home.

After the war, Solange Lamblin was one of the first women to be elected to the National Constituent Assembly in 1945 (Seine constituency), then to the 1st legislature of the Fourth Republic in 1946. Eventually, however, she left politics to devote herself fully to her teaching career.

Solange Lamblin died in Champcueil on 8 December 1984.

Notes written by Charlotte Varlot.