Ernest Toussaint Explained

Ernest Toussaint (6 March 1908 – 3 September 1942) was a Luxembourgish boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was born in Rumelange.

Toussaint represented Luxembourg in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He defeated Karl Lutz of Austria in the round of 32 before being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the heavyweight class by eventual bronze medalist Erling Nilsen of Norway.

He was shot in the Hinzert concentration camp (Germany) after being arrested as one of the leaders in the general strike against the Nazi occupation in Luxembourg on 31 August 1942.^{[1] [2]} The country had been protesting against the introduction of compulsory military service for young Luxembourgers in the German army.^[3] Toussaint's widow and his two sons were deported to the work camp of Leubus in Silesia.^[2]

In 1960 Ernest Toussaint was awarded the Croix de l´Ordre de la Résistance 1940–1944.^[4]

External links

• profile
• Commémoration à l'occasion du 60e anniversaire de la grève générale du 31 août 1942
• Ernest Toussaint's profile at Sports Reference.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417055433/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/friv/lists.cgi?id=65 . dead . 17 April 2020 . 24 July 2018 . Sports Reference.
2. News: Rodriguez . Ricardo . The story of a forgotten hero . 27 February 2021 . Luxembourg Times . 28 September 2019.
3. Ruckert, Ali, Vor 70 Jahren: Der Streik gegen die Nazis (2) . Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek, 29. August 2012
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20140903122540/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1960/0027/a027.pdf Liste des personnes décorées jusqu´ici par arrêté grand-ducal à titre posthume de la Croix de l´Ordre de la Résistance 1940–1944.