Pierre Claret

Pierre Claret was from a prominent French sporting family. Growing up in Chamonix, his brothers Marcel and Jean Claret played ice hockey for France, and his sisters Ida and Berthe were on the Chamonix women’s team, called Edelweiss. Ida had two sons, Maurice and Roger Chappot, who later played hockey for Switzerland and France, respectively. Pierre skated for Chamonix HC from 1934-42, and competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics and the 1937 World Championships. Pierre Claret and his entire family were inducted into the French Hockey Hall of Fame.

In September 1943 Pierre and Marcel Claret were arrested by the Gestapo, and moved to the Mont-Luc Prison in Lyon, run by Klaus Barbie “The Butcher of Lyon.” They were eventually deported to Buchenwald Concentration Camp, and then to Mittelbau-Dora, although they survived their ordeal.