Robert Benoist was born in Auffargis, near Rambouillet, Île-de-France, France on 20 March 1895. His father, Gaston Benoist, was the gamekeeper for Baron Henri de Rothschild’s estate. He had an older brother named Maurice. During World War I, Benoist served in the French army before becoming a fighter pilot in the French Air Force. He married Paule Ajustron at the age of 27 and had a daughter, Jacqueline, and also had a mistress, Huguette Stocker.
After seeking excitement following the war, Benoist joined the de Marçay car company as a test driver. He then moved to Salmson, where he found success in cyclecar races before being signed to drive for Delage in 1924. In 1925, driving for Delage alongside Albert Divo, he won the French Grand Prix, a race that also saw the death of Italian racing star Antonio Ascari.
In 1927, Benoist drove a Delage 15-S-8 to victory in the French, Spanish, Italian, and British Grand Prix races, securing the season championship title for the French manufacturer. When Delage withdrew from racing, Benoist became manager of the Banville Garage in Paris, but continued to race occasionally for the Bugatti team, finishing second in the 1928 San Sebastián Grand Prix in Spain. He teamed up with Attilio Marinoni to win the Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium in 1929, driving an Alfa Romeo.
Benoist made a comeback with the Bugatti team in 1934, becoming head of the competition department and overseeing the company’s Le Mans programme. He partnered with Jean-Pierre Wimille to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1937. Following this victory, Benoist retired from driving, but remained with Bugatti as head of their racing department.
In mid-February 1943, Benoist’s chateau was used to store weapons and supplies for the French resistance, receiving six large parachute drops of weapons and other supplies organized by SOE agent William Grover-Williams. On 31 July 1943, the German authorities pinpointed the location of the Chestnut network’s radio operator, leading to a raid on the chateau on 1 August. Grover-Williams was captured at the chateau, and the Germans recovered a large quantity of arms and equipment.
On 4 August 1943, Benoist was apprehended by the German SD in Paris, but managed to escape while being transported to headquarters. According to multiple sources, including the Wikipedia article on Robert Benoist, he jumped from the moving vehicle and disappeared into the crowd. He took refuge with friends and eventually escaped to England with the help of Henri Dericourt.
After training in explosives in England, Benoist returned to France on the night of 19-20 October 1943, tasked with creating the Clergyman network. His code name was “Lionel”, and his mission was to destroy the power pylons across the Loire River at Île Héron near Nantes. He also planned to assassinate senior German SD officials in Paris, although this plan was never realised. In March 1944, Benoist and Denise Bloch returned to France and, on 16 May, his saboteurs successfully blew up the Île Héron power pylons, cutting off power to Nantes for a week. They destroyed the repaired pylons again on 26 May.
On 17 June 1944, Benoist held a meeting of key network members at his villa near Sermaise. He announced he was leaving to visit his mother in Paris, warning them to disperse if he did not return by the next day. Benoist and his sister, Charlotte Perdrigé, were captured by the Germans in Paris. Benoist attempted to escape from custody by climbing through a bathroom window, but was recaptured. After nearly a month of interrogation, on 9 September 1944, Benoist was among 16 prisoners selected for “special treatment” at Buchenwald concentration camp, meaning execution by hanging. He was executed on 11 September 1944.
The “Coupe Robert Benoist” automobile race was held in Paris in his memory on 9 September 1945, and was won by Jean-Pierre Wimille. The village of Auffargis named a street in his honour, and the Linas-Monthléry race track erected a monument to him. The "Tribune Robert Benoist" is also present among the grandstands at the former Reims-Gueux circuit in France. Benoist is commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial in Surrey, Britain, and the Valençay SOE Memorial in France.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus: a Wikipedia article on Robert Benoist. No external sources, including primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, or specialist publications, were consulted.
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