The “Affranchis” (Enfranchised)

• Access and consultation: The fonds of the Affranchis movement  can be accessed during the opening hours of the reading room. Its content is freely accessible. Reservation.
• Reproduction:  The content of the fonds can be reproduced freely in our reading room. For any information about requests for a document reproduction carried out by CegeSoma staff can be found here.
• Research instruments: Inventory AA976

Archive fonds description :

The archives of the Affranchis were ceded to CegeSoma by M. Eyns who had bought them after the death of national liquidator C. Tromme. They contain 4 parts: general information, the Affranchis group, files about two legal cases that drew a lot of attention at the time, and the ‘Fraternelle’ of the Affranchis.

Founded in early 1941 by C. Tromme and a few friends, this movement was never incorporated in the Légion Belge, F.I. or A.B. because its founder never obtained the conditions to meet his requirements. C. Tromme therefore decided to keep his group enfranchised, as a “corps franc”. This probably explains why the Affranchis occupent dans les études sur la Résistance. The group was established in the Brabant region, the province of Antwerp, West Flanders and Hainaut, and in the north of France. It was recognised as an armed resistance group by the Ministerial Decree of 28 February 1949.

For more information :

• Alain Colignon, "Affranchis" sur Belgium WWII
• Bernard Henri, La Résistance 1940-1945, Bruxelles : La Renaissance du Livre, 1969.
• Le livre d’or de la résistance en Belgique, Bruxelles : M.D.N., 1948.
• Tanham George K., Contribution à l'histoire de la résistance belge, 1940-1944, Bruxelles : Presses universitaires de Bruxelles, 1971.