Emile and Camille Marchal, a childless couple, lived in Bertrichamps (Meurthe-et-Moselle) where Emile worked as a male nurse. In July 1942, the couple took in four members of the Bloch family, Jews originally from Sarreguemines who were in danger of arrest. Emile Boch, the father, had been demobilized in 1940, and had joined his wife and two daughters, ages 12 and 9, who had fled to Vexaincourt (Vosges) during the German advance. The Blochs lived in an apartment that belonged to the village mayor. In July 1942, in the middle of the night, someone came knocking on their door. It was Georgette Valentin, the mayor’s granddaughter, who had traveled about 10 kilometers by bicycle to warn them that their names appeared on the list of arrests planned for the next day. The Blochs packed their bags immediately and took the train to Raon l’Etape where they had friends, the Nilsas. The Nilsas, however, had a business in the center of town whose exposed location did not allow them to lodge the Blochs there. Instead, they recommended the Bochs to Emile and Camille Marchal (Mrs. Nilsa’s sister), in the neighboring village of Bertrichamps. The Marchals’ house was set away from the town, and so the presence of strangers would not attract attention. And so the Blochs moved to the Marchals’, who gave them a warm welcome. They were lodged at no charge for three weeks, giving them time to organize their passage to the southern zone. The risks the Marchals took were enormous because not only were the Blochs being hunted, but also Bertrichamps was located in the zone around the annexed Alsace-Lorraine regions, destined for German colonization. The Blochs subsequently found refuge in the Vienne Department where their daughters were placed with the nuns of Saint-Martial. They never forgot their rescuers the Marchals.
On April 13, 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Emile and Camille Marchal as Righteous Among the Nations.