Free French Naval Ensign “Patriam Servando Victoriam Tulit”
“By serving the Fatherland, they achieved Victory”

Jean Pierre Babin on deck of submarine Rubis, Lerwick, Shetland, 1942

Crew members and Bacchus, the mascot on foredeck of submarine Rubis, River Tay, 1942

Decorated and illuminated Christmas tree. Christmas at “HMS Ambrose.”

Decorations include tricolor and Cross of Lorraine, Christmas at “HMS Ambrose”.

A football team drawn from the crews of the Free French submarines Rubis and Minerve pose for the camera at Glenesk Park, Dundee, in 1941.

Rubis crew football team at Riverside Park, Dundee, in the winter of 1940–41

During her dramatic escape through the enemy minefield, Rubis' crew had to take refuge on deck as the inside of the damaged submarine filled with chlorine gas caused by acid from cracked battery cells mixing with water in the bilges.

Rubis photographed by the RAF while crossing an enemy minefield off Norway on the 23rd August 1941. RAF aircraft patrolled ahead of Rubis, signalling if they spotted any mines in the path of the badly damaged submarine.

Rubis limping back to Dundee after being heavily damaged during an attack on a German convoy off Norway in August 1941. As a result of the damage, she was unable to dive and had to cross an enemy minefield on the surface and in broad daylight...and all within easy range of enemy airfields. The British cruiser HMS Curaçao led a rescue flotilla despatched from Scotland to escort the crippled submarine back to Dundee.

Rubis seen from HMS Curaçao on the morning of 24^th August 1941 as she limped home to Dundee. Down below, most of her battery cells had cracked leaking acid into the bilges where it mixed with water to give off highly toxic chlorine gas. Engineers working inside the submarine had to wear gas masks. Then a fire broke out among the damaged batteries, but still the submarine's engineers managed to keep her running under her own power all the way back across the North Sea to the Tay. Those not required below were sent on deck where they could at least breathe fresh air rather than chlorine gas.

Rubis was famed among the Allied submarine crews for the quality of her cuisine and, soon after this picture was taken, a table complete with snowy white cloth was set up on deck and Lieutenant Henri Rousselot, Rubis' commanding officer, and his fellow officers sat down to a silver service meal of soup, a fine ham salad served with new potatoes and a fresh fruit salad to follow. On the table stood two bottles of an excellent white burgundy. As Curacao's astonished officers stared through their binoculars at this extraordinary spectacle, Rousselot jerked a derisive thumb in their direction and said, 'They are jealous, aboard there mashed potatoes.' Then he lay down on the deck and slept for the first time in four days. Rubis reached Dundee safely on 25 August 1941 at the end of one of the most remarkable submarine survival epics of the Second World War.

Signal from Flag Officer (Submarines):

“The Commanding Officer, officers and ship's company of RUBIS are to be highly congratulated, not only for their fine performance in sinking a valuable enemy ship and possibly another as a result of their mine lays, but also on their indomitable courage and tenacity which enabled them to bring their ship safely back to harbour in the face of grave hazard.”

Max Horton
Admiral

Crew accommodation with, above, the torpedo loading hatch.

The crew of Rubis photographed in Dundee Harbour in June 1940. Centre front, Georges Cabanier, the submarine's commanding officer, is holding the submarine's mascot, Bacchus the dog. On Cabanier's right is the British Naval Liaison Officer Lieutenant Edward Turner.

Front Row: Marcel Buchon • Justin Dangel • Alphonse Boehm • Sontran Gauthier • Lieutenant Farnarier* Lieutenant E. Turner RN • Lieutenant Commander Georges Cabanier • Lieutenant Henri Rousselot Lieutenant Henri Simon-Dubuisson • Jules Foueré • Robert Laurent • François Guillerm • Leguen
François Le Guen

Second Row: Roger Guillamet • Pierre Mathieu • Henri Le Borgne • André Vallois • Lucien Banckaert Joseph Creton • Eugéne Casey • Jimmy Green • Gabriel Menéz • Gaston Baivier • Louis Voisin
Jean Gaillard • Guillamet Guyomard • Jean Pierre Babin

Third Row: Vernet • Robert Delaquéze • Jean Windels • Roger Geoffray • Serge Remenant • Léon Vozy Joseph Sarti • Paul Melie • Jean Louboutin • Maurice Le Guérec • Francis Cosson • Yves Turier
Georges Avezon

Fourth Row: Alain Besq • Gaston Sanz • Marcel Tanguy • André Pallards • Pierre Labessa
Raymond Courbot • Michel Laenen • François Le Saout • Pacifique Lucas • Lucien Fauque

* Indicates returned to France after French Armistice

Lieutenant-Commander Georges Cabanier Retired Vice-Admiral, was Commander in Chief of the French Navy in the 1960’s.

Lieutenant E. J. D. Turner RN, later Captain RN, was the first British Liaison officer on “Rubis” in 1940.

Jean Pierre Babin in best uniform, Dundee, 1943.

Bacchus the mascot dog in command in the control room with, looking up the conning tower ladder, Rubis' First Lieutenant, Henri Simon-Dubuisson.

General de Gaulle inspects the Free French contingent in the 9th Flotilla at Mayfield in 1942. Over de Gaulle's right shoulder can be seen the bearded Jean Querville, commander of the submarine Junon.

Amiral Emile Muselier acknowledges the salute of an honour guard outside Mayfield as he begins an inspection in June 1941. He is accompanied by Captain James Roper and (right) Capitaine de Vaisseau Georges Cabanier.

De Gaulle Leaves the Submarines, Probably in Victoria Dock, Dundee, 1941.

Fine Study of De Gaulle in Pensive Mood, Presumably at Mayfield.

Chief Engineer Justin Dangel (nearest the camera) and two of his staff in Rubis' engine room.

Lieutenant de vaisseau Henri Rousselot at Rubis' periscope watched by Enseigne de vaisseau Hemar and Bacchus, the submarine's mascot. Bacchus went on all of Rubis' twenty-eight war patrols and was awarded the Valiant Dog's medal by the British Canine Defence League.

Amiral Emile Muselier going ashore after inspecting Rubis at Dundee in 1941. Captain James Roper, commander of the 9th Submarine Flotilla, is paying his respects to Bacchus, the submarine's mascot dog.

Amiral Emile Muselier with Capitaine de vaisseau Georges Cabanier, Rubis first wartime commanding officer, outside the 9th Flotilla headquarters at Mayfield, Dundee.