Charles de Gaulle was a French army officer and statesman who led the Free French against Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

He lived in Hampstead, in exile, from the autumn of 1940 until 1942 whilst waiting for the liberation of France.  He chaired the provisional government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 to re-establish democracy in France.  In 1958 he came out of retirement and was — appointed President of the Council of Ministers by President Rene Coty.  He re-wrote the constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic.  He was reappointed President in 1965 and resigned in 1969.  He was a dominant figure in France during the early part of the Cold War era.

This plaque was unveiled in February 1983 with more than 700 people in attendance. The Royal British Legion marched down Frognal from Whitestone Pond, leading a procession of veterans from Britain, France, and Belgium, playing La Marseillaise and God Save the Queen at the high point of the ceremony.