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Francois Roulet
In November 1991, Francois, a thirty-one year old Frenchman joined the 1st Guards Brigade of the Croatian National Guard (ZNG-RH). He saw some action at Novska and later worked as an instructor with 140 Brigade in Zagreb, being promoted to the rank of stozerni narednik (staff sergeant). Like most international volunteers he came to fight, not train others hundreds of kilometres away from the war and he transferred again to the Vukovar front at Osijek in January 1992. Francois was one of the first International Volunteers to enter the fighting in Bosnia. By the end of April, together with many of the International Volunteers from eastern Slavonia he was holding the embattled Posavina pocket in northern Bosnia, attempting to sever the strategically vital Posavina corridor. His particular unit suffered badly and was later rebuilt around him, where he was known as ﾓthe quiet forceﾔ before being absorbed with other ad hoc units of International Volunteers into 108. (Bosanski Brod) Brigade HVO. Francois was a magnetic personality known and liked for his eccentricities as well as his great bravery. At the frontline he maintained a wine cellar, enjoyed good food and on occasion was not averse to trading some of his stock for valuable explosives and detonators. Wounded three times, Francois distinguished himself in anti-tank combat, a particularly terrifying activity and it is said he had some eight Serb tanks to his credit when he was killed in action on Boxing Day 1992 whilst attacking an enemy-held village some two kilometres from Markovic Polje. A British volunteer was also wounded in this engagement. Francoisﾒ body was later repatriated to France and is buried in a family plot in the cemetery of his village.
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