Basic Details
Surname
de Pourtalès
Forenames
Raymond George Albert Nicolas
Gender
Male
Information stated on memorial
Served or died
Died
Notes
His biography on the college website (see references) states: ‘Raymond was the son of the Swiss writer, Comte Guy de Pourtales and his wife, Helene E von Marcuard. He was born in Geneva. The family were of Huguenot descent and, over the generations, moved between Germany, France and Switzerland.
He was educated at Lycee Louis-le-Grand, Paris and came up to Christ Church in 1933. He graduated with a 2nd in German and Italian in 1936. After graduating, he attended the University of Paris and was on the Reserve of Officers at Saint-Cyr. On September 3rd 1939, he joined the 4ème Régiment d'Infanterie. He married Yvonne Delmas at Passy on March 11th 1940. They had a son, Alexis, who was born in Paris on January 17th 1941 and died in 2005. On May 10th 1940, the day on which Germany invaded Belgium, he was the liaison officer between his regiment and the P.C. de la 15ème D.I.M. (Division d'Infanterie Motorisée). On May 28th, he was at a crossroads in the village of Bois-Grenier with Germinal Bernard when they were shot and killed by the Germans. In 1954, a street in Bois-Grenier was named after him.
Primary Service
Our References
Service (Primary - Our reference)
Unit (Primary - Our reference)
Rank / Title (Primary - Our reference)
Death and Burial details
Country of death
France
Town of death
Bois Grenier
Year of death
1940
Month of death
May
Day of death
28
Age at death
25
Manner of death reference
Killed in Action