NANCY WAKE - SPY - (A.K.A WHITE MOUSE)
‘Once there was a girl who became a secret agent. When she was just sixteen years old, she travelled by herself from Australia to England and convinced a newspaper to hire her. When the Second World War broke out, she joined the French Resistance (the Marquis) in their fight against the Nazis.
After escaping to England, Nancy parachuted back to France so she could help train and organize resistance fighters’ and rescue British pilots who had been shot down over France. She got them fake identity papers and then ferried them across the mountains to Spain, so they could get back to Britain safely.
She outwitted the German secret police (the Gestapo) at every turn and was top of their Most Wanted list. They nicknamed her The White Mouse because she seemed impossible to catch!
Nancy was also a great soldier. She was a great shot and never lost her nerve. When her unit suffered a surprise attack by the Germans, she took command of a section whose leader had been killed and, with exceptional coolness, organized a retreat with no further losses.
When the war ended and France was finally liberated, Nancy was awarded the George Medal by the British. The French gave her three Croix de Guerre medals and the Médaille de la Résistance. They later made her a Knight of the Legion of Honor – their highest award. The Americans awarded her the Medal of Freedom.’
August 30, 1912 – August 7, 2011
New Zealand[1]