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In 1938 he was admitted to the French War College (École de guerre) and was posted to the general staff of the 14th Military Region in Lyon.

During the 1940 campaign, he took part in the Battle of Gembloux and was appointed Chief of Staff of the 108th Infantry Division (108e DI).

After the Armistice he served in Vichy and then in the Armistice Army, notably within the 2nd Military Region, in a clandestine action bureau.

From May 1943 he served in London with the BCRA (Free French intelligence services) and, from July 1944, with the DGER (Directorate General for Studies and Research).

As head of the staff unit in charge of the Sussex Plan, he coordinated the deployment of networks on French territory and standardised procedures between Allied and French services.

He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on 25 March 1946, then served at SHAPE (NATO) from 1954.

He died on 5 February 1999.

Decorations

• Knight of the Légion d’Honneur
• Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with palm and silver star
• Cross for Military Valour with silver star
• Resistance Medal
• Cross of the Volunteer Combatant of the Resistance
• Combatant’s Cross 1939–1945
• Colonial Medal with “Tunisia” clasp
• Commemorative Medal for the 1939–1945 war with red star and clasps “Africa, Great Britain, Germany and Liberation”
• Medal of National Recognition (France) with clasp “War 1939–1945”
• Commemorative Medal for operations to maintain order in North Africa with “Algeria” clasp
• Also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (USA)

Community involvement

Deeply involved in veterans’ associations, he was notably attached to the 2nd Armoured Division (2e DB) and the 2nd Algerian Rifle Regiment (2e RTA).

End of life

Commander BIGNON died, aged 87, on 9 April 2006 in Beauvais. His funeral took place on 14 April at Saint-Étienne Church in Beauvais, where several delegations (Légion d’Honneur, 2e DB, ANOCR, UNCAFN, UMRAC, ONAC, etc.) paid their final respects.