A French Freedom Fighter

A French Freedom Fighter and a concentration camp victim in Centerton, AR. Really?  This was an amazing find for me. (Even if it is only a cenotaph.)  Not only was it completely unexpected but incredibly sad as well. 

Nestled into the back of the Centerton Cemetery in Centerton, AR sits a Cenotaph that brings tears to my eyes.  Erected, I can only assume, by her Margot Baird as a loving tribute to her mother.

I can't help but wonder what her story is.  Sadly I have been unsuccessful in finding out much so far.

Ludovicka

Saurwein

Freedom Fighter

in the French Underground, Killed

in February 1945 in the concentration

camp, "Ravensbruck." She was gassed,

burnt and buried in a mass grave.

Missed by many.

In spirit let Centerton be your resting

place until we meet again,

Forever love,

your daughter

Margot

and  "the coming generations"

"May global peace prevail"

Thanks to the wonderful helpers on Find A Grave I was able to find this tidbit of information. This information is from Madison Mentions on June 4, 2006.

Madison was the first stop for a 6-year-old Margot Baird after she fled the Ravensbrueck concentration camp in 1945. Baird, now 86 and a resident of Centerton, Ark. told her story in the Fort Smith Times Record as she unveiled a monument to a German freedom fighter named Ludovika Saurwein. Saurwein bought Baird's freedom “with artificial honey, chicken and gold."

I have an email into the newspaper looking for the article hopefully they will be able to find it for me or at least point me in the right direction.  Once I have more info I will post it.

On a side note: (I mean no disrespect to anyone involved with this info. Just thinking out loud.)
What troubles me about this tidbit is that the math doesn't work.  If she was 6 in 1945 and was 86 in 2006 then the math is way off.  There is only 61 years between 1945 and 2006, which would make Margot only 67 years old at the time of this article.  If you add 86 years to her birth date on the stone she wouldn't be 86 until 2024. So at present she should only be 72 years of age.  Hmmm wonder what the deal is?

Here is some additional information:
Wikipedi on Freedom Fighters.

Here is some information on the concentration camp she she was killed in.
Ravensbruck
Jewish Virtual Library
The horrible experiments that took place at Ravensbruck
The Women of Ravensbruck