As introduced in Blood Simple – the Last Known Address, and Sky with Diamonds, the travels of two DEFLQ members, Normand Roy and Denyse Leduc, are of particular interest. The visa stamps on the misdirected passports mailed from Paris to Algers, ending up in the hands of the RCMP in Ottawa, showed that the two had left France from the port of Calais on the 31st of October, 1970, landing at Dover, and returned to the continent 4 days later, on the 4th of November. Given that Richard Bros died in in a police cell in the North London borough of Islington, on the 22nd of November, The travels would be much important, with respect to Richard Bros and his death, were following Bros when they left France – which meant Paris – and boarded the ferry from Calais to Dover, and continued to London, it was for a reason.
That left two questions. First, on what day did Richard Bros leave London for Paris and on what day did he return? When I interviewed his widow, Françoise Peeters, in Sommières, she said she had the passport, at her home in Lille.
Interview with widow of Richard Bros, Françoise Peeters,
I suppose he went to France, I think for two weeks. He came back two days before he died. He came back from France, I was working in a restaurant at the time. He came to see me. He asked if he could sleep at my place. I said OK. He spent a night at my place, and went back to his place the next day. The same night he called me. And the next day he was arrested, in the morning. He told me he was in Paris.
Mcloughlin interview of Françoise Peeters, Sommières, 2001
Her recollection was not precise enough to know if there was a connection between his travels and the travels of Normand Roy and Denyse Leduc.
Luckily, among the personal items left to her following Bros’ death was his passport. One the way to London from Sommières, I took the train to Lille, where Peeters resided. I went to her apartment and waited with anticipation as she looked for his passport. She found it.
The passport of Richard Bros
Canadian passport number RX145010, requested 11 September 1970, issued four days later, on 15 September, at Canada House, London.
The passport of Richard BROS was stamped, as follows:
“The condition attached to admission to the United Kingdom is hereby verified so as to require the holder not to remain in the United Kingdom later than 21st September 1970. (Signature-unreadable) for Under-Secretary of State, Home Office. Date 17 September 1970. As endorsed in previous passport.”[i]
[i]. P. 23 of the passport, in the possession of Francoise Peeters.
Three days later, in Ottawa, Passport issued to Denyse LEDUC, who will have Dover visa stamp 31.10.70 and 4.11.70, Bern 9.11.70.
Richard BROS leaves Britain from London Airport for Paris. His passport is stamped “Immigration Officer (240) embarked 21 September 1970 London Airport”.[i] See 17 September re. Passport stamp.
Richard BROS interviewed at High Commission in London by VCO Inspector John Edward Mitchel HANNA (RCMP)[i] and post Security Officer.
London telex 1113:[ii]
(Richard BROS) interviewed today by VCO PSO. He began to speak of his life in Canada and his association with the FLQ without any prompting as soon as we settled down to talk. His remarks were however general and imprecise (…) The usual meeting place for the various FLQ cells was the cafe Metropole on the corner of Peel and St. Catherine St. (…) some time in 1965 the FLQ discussed whether or not the Party would have any information of interest to them.” married; appeared to lack formal education, but intelligent.
1970 October 24 Richard BROS leaves London by air and arrives at Orly, outside Paris.[i] His passport is stamped Surete Nationale a Orly 24 October 1970 25″.[ii]
October 24 RCMP Headquarters Log[i]
13h15: A…Inspector POTTS who stated he had received a call from the Toronto Star claiming that they had received a report to effect that RCMP were sending 6 members to Paris to check on FLQ aspect there. Insp. POTTS wanted to know if we tell him to either confirm or deny the report. I told him I hadn’t heard anything about it and suggested he call Inspector FERRARIS.
October 31 DEFLQ/FLQ related person arrives in Dover, England, and stays until 4.11.70.
4 November ROY and Leduc leave Dover, England, where they had been since 31.10.70. One or both will arrive in Basel, Switzerland, 9.11.70.[i]
4 November Article in Combat:
4 November “Canada: 6 personnes recherchés en Grand Bretagne.”
Article in L’Aurore (droite radicale) titre : « Scotland Yard s’intéresse aux suspects du Québec »
Le Figaro: « Six Québecois compromis dans l’assassinat de M. Laporte et le rapt de M. Cross – se seraient refugiés en Grande-Bretagne – Interpol a demandé à Scotland Yard d’enquêter. »
Paris Jour : « Chasse à l’homme ».
[i] Alger telex 569, 29.12.71, to PSI, Bourne. Bag to Havana/Brown/Warden de Ottawa,RG 146, box 25, 92-A-00132, p. 150.
On 22.12.71, two passports were mailed from Paris to the DEFLQ Alger.[i] One passport, issued 18.9.70, had no visas and had three immigration stamps indicating bearer was in Dover, England, 31.10.70-4.11.70, and in Basel (Bern), Switzerland, on 9.11.70.
[i]. Alger telex 569, 29.12.71, to PSI, Bourne. Bag to Havana/Brown/Warden de Ottawa,RG 146, box 25, 92-A-00132, p. 150.
[i]. RG 146, vol. 2419, Kidnapping James R. CROSS, Daily Log Headquarters, p. 5.
Interview of supposedly Bros but likely BIZIER by Raymond Cartier published in Paris-Match.[iii]
[i]. Passport of Richard BROS.
[ii]. P. 23 of the passport, which is in possession of Francoise Peeters.[iii]. Paris-Match, Number 1120, pp. 36-37.La Presse, 26 November 1970.
[i]. According to John Friend, who told me that there were two RCMP in London, one at Canada House and one at the other building, MacDonald House.
[ii]. EA 7-6-1, AtIP A-2500, pp. 1098-1101.
[i]. P. 23 of the passport, which is in possession of Francoise Peeters.