Harry Rée

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Harry Rée (1914-1991) was a British educator and wartime member of SOE.

Harry Ree was born in England and educated at Shrewsbury School. In 1936-1937 he studied at the Institute of Education and in the University of London he became a language master at Bradford Grammar School and Beckenham and Penge County School.

[edit] Wartime exploits

After the outbreak of the Second World War, Rée joined the Special Operations Executive and received a captain with a codename "César". In April 1943 he was parachuted to France and joined the Acrobat Network around Montbéliard. Later he became active in the Stockbroker Network around Belfort.

Rée spoke against RAF bombing in France, stating it was turning French public opinion against the Allies. He suggested that SOE agents could organize effective sabotage of factories on the ground. He organized destruction of Peugeot factory at Sochaux by convincing the local director that he could avoid further bombing if he'd sabotage his own factories. On November 5, 1943 Rée organized a decoy attack against compressors and transformers at Sochaux to transfer the blame.

Germans tried to capture Rée. Rée escaped Feldgendarmerie group after he had been shot four times and, according to his own account, had to swim over a river and crawl through a nearby forest. He managed to escape to Switzerland and keep some contact to his organization. In May 1944 he was replaced by an American officer E.F. Floege and returned to Britain. On his return to Britain he starred in the movie Now it Can be Told (aka School for Danger) produced by the RAF Film Unit which told the story of SOE's activities in France.

[edit] Educational career

After the war, Rée became headmaster of Watford Grammar School for Boys. Between 1961-1974 he was a professor of education at York University and was an advocate of comprehensive education. He was active in the Society for the Promotion of Education Reform and the Programme for Reform in Secondary Education.

In 1974 he left the university and went to Woodberry Down Comprehensive School and became an ordinary classroom teacher. He retired in 1980. Rée continued to advocate close links between Schools of the European Community and the repeal of the 1988 Education Act.

Harry Rée died in 1991.