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Home , Croix de Guerre, Nancy Wake

Personality Profi le 78

Nancy Wake (1912-2011) by Wu WenJie & Kayson Wang

INTRODUCTION then where she trained herself as a journalist. In the was a prominent 1930s, she settled in and figure in the , the French worked for the Hearst newspapers Resistance during World War Two as a European correspondent. She (WWII), and one of the Allies' witnessed the rise of most decorated servicewomen of and the Nazi movement and the war. She played an important "saw roving Nazi gangs randomly role in WWII, serving as a British beating Jewish men and women in Special Operations Executive the streets" of .2 (SOE) agent.

WORLD WAR TWO EARLY LIFE As the 1930s progressed, the Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, rise of German Fascism formed also known as Nancy Wake, was the basis of many of Wake's born in Roseneath, , stories. In 1935, she visited , on 30th August, Vienna and Berlin where the 1912. Wake’s father, Charles overt and violent anti-Semitism Augustus Wake, was a journalist and due to his career, the family movement formed in her a desire had to move to North , to oppose . In 1937, Wake in 1914. However, her met wealthy French industrialist father returned to New Zealand, Henri Edmond Fiocca, whom she th leaving her mother, Ella Wake to married on 30 November, 1939, raise the children.1 in . Six months later, invaded . Wake In Sydney, she attended the and Fiocca joined the fledgling North Sydney Household Arts Resistance movement after (Home Science) School. At the France's surrender in 1940. age of 16, she ran away from home and worked as a nurse. After the fall of France in After Wake turned 20, with £200 1940, Wake became a courier for that she had inherited from an the and later aunt, she journeyed to New York, joined the escape network of

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Captain Ian Garrow. In a reference but was released four "A little powder and a little drink to Wake's ability to elude capture, days later. An acquaintance on the way, and I'd pass their the called her the White managed to have her released (German) posts and wink and Mouse. The Resistance exercised by making up stories about say, “Do you want to search me?” caution with her missions; her her supposed infidelity to her Wake made use of her natural life was in constant danger, with husband. She succeeded, on her advantage as a woman and her the Gestapo tapping her phone sixth attempt, in crossing the charm to bypass many obstacles and intercepting her mail. to . Until the war that a lot of men couldn’t, which ended, she was unaware of her made her a very a capable agent.6 In November 1942, husband's death and subsequently troops occupied the southern blamed herself for it. On the night of 30th April, part of France after the Allies' 1944, when Wake was 31, she was Operation Torch had started. This Wake found her way to England among 39 women and 430 men gave the Gestapo unrestricted and was accepted for training by who were parachuted into France access to all papers of the the British Special Operations to help with preparations for régime and made life more Execuitive (SOE), an intelligence D-Day. Wake was parachuted into dangerous for Wake. In the war, group working with the French the , becoming a liaison she was credited with saving Resistance. Her colleague, Vera between London and the local the lives of hundreds of Allied Atkins, who also worked in maquis group headed by Captain soldiers and downed airmen the SOE, recalls her as a “real Henri Tardivat in the Forest between 1940 and 1943 by Australian Bombshell.”3 Wake of Tronçais. Upon discovering escorting them through occupied was known for her tremendous her tangled in a tree, Captain France to safety in Spain. vitality and immense fighting Tardivat greeted her remarking, spirit. Training reports record "I hope that all the trees in Her growing involvement in that she was "a very good and France bear such beautiful fruit the Resistance saw Wake and her fast shot," possessed excellent this year," to which Wake replied husband assisting in the escape field craft and was noted to with a firm tone, "Don't give me of Allied servicemen and Jewish have "put the men to shame by that French crap."7 refugees from France into neutral her cheerful spirit and strength Spain. By 1943, Wake was the of character."4 After her training, Wake’s duties included Gestapo's most wanted person, Wake became a courier and then allocating arms and equipment with a 5 million-franc price on an escort for Allied soldiers and that were parachuted in and her head. When her network was refugees trying to leave the minding the group's finances. betrayed that same year, she country. “It was much easier for Wake became instrumental in decided to flee Marseilles. Her us, you know, to travel all over recruiting more members and husband, Henri Fiocca, stayed France,” she told an interviewer making the maquis groups into a behind; he was later captured, for Australian television. “A formidable force, roughly 7,500 tortured and executed by the woman could get out of a lot of strong. She also led attacks on Gestapo. In her attempt to trouble that a man could not.”5 German installations and the flee, Wake had been arrested in Wake once described her tactics: local Gestapo HQ in Montluçon.

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At one point, Wake discovered 100 themselves. Her French had tortured her husband to death that her men were protecting a companions, especially Henri in 1943 for refusing to disclose girl who was a German spy. They Tardivat, praised her fighting her whereabouts. In September did not have the heart to kill spirit, amply demonstrated when 1944, Wake left the Resistance her in cold blood, but Wake did. she killed an SS sentry with her and went to SOE Headquarters After the war, Wake said that it bare hands to prevent him from in Paris, and then to London was war, and she had no regrets raising the alarm during a raid. in mid-October. Shortly after, 8 about the incident. Throughout After a period of training, Wake she worked for the Intelligence the war, Wake helped establish returned to France in April 1944 Department at the British Air communication lines between the to help organise the Resistance Ministry attached to embassies British military and the French before D-Day. Working in the in Paris and . Resistance that were deemed Auvergne region, Wake was crucial to weakening German engaged in organising Not long after, Wake returned strength in France in advance of drops of arms and equipment, to Australia and stood as a Liberal the Allied invasion. and after D-Day, was involved in candidate in the 1949 Australian combat with bodies of German Federal election for the Sydney Once Wake was on a mission troops sent to destroy the Maquis. seat of Barton, running against Dr. to replace codes her wireless Herbert Evatt, then Deputy Prime operator had been forced to During a 1990s television Minister, Attorney-General and destroy in a German raid. She interview, when asked what had Minister for External Affairs in the rode a bicycle for more than happened to the sentry who Ben Chifley Labour government. 500 kilometres through several spotted her, Wake simply drew her German checkpoints. During a While Chifley lost the government finger across her throat. "They'd German attack on another maquis to , Wake recorded a taught this judo-chop stuff with group, Wake, along with two 13% swing against Evatt, with Evatt the flat of the hand at SOE, and I American officers, took command retaining the seat with 53.2% of practised away at it. But this was of a section whose leader had the vote on a two-party preferred the only time I used it—whack— been killed. She directed the basis. Wake ran against Evatt again and it killed him all right. I was use of suppressive fire, which at the 1951 federal election. By really surprised."9 facilitated the group's withdrawal this time, Evatt was Deputy Leader without further losses. of the Opposition. The result was AFTER THE WAR extremely close. However, Evatt From April 1944 until the Immediately after the war, retained the seat with a margin of , her 7,000+ Wake was awarded the George fewer than 250 votes. maquisards fought 22,000 Medal, the Medal soldiers (SS), a of Freedom, the Médaille de la Wake left Australia just major paramilitary organisation Résistance, and thrice the Croix after the 1951 election and under Adolf Hitler, causing 1,400 de Guerre. Upon liberation, Wake moved back to England. She casualties, while suffering only finally learned that the Gestapo worked as an intelligence

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officer in the department of the British and American forces club admitted with a chest infection. Assistant Chief of Air Staff at during the war. She had been She had requested that her ashes the Air Ministry in Whitehall. She introduced to her first "bloody be scattered at Montluçon in resigned in 1957 after marrying good drink" there by the general central France. Her ashes were an (RAF) officer, manager at the time, Louis scattered near the village of John Forward, in December of that Burdet.10 He had also worked for Verneix, which is near Montluçon, year. They returned to Australia the Resistance in Marseilles. In on 11th March, 2013. in the early 1960s. Maintaining the mornings, she would usually her interest in politics, Wake was be found in the hotel bar, Her obituary was included endorsed as a Liberal candidate at sipping her first gin and tonic in and inspired the title for The the 1966 federal election for the of the day. She was welcomed at Socialite who killed a Nazi with Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith. the hotel, celebrating her 90th Her Bare Hands: And 144 Other Despite recording a swing of 6.9% birthday there, where the hotel Fascinating People who died this against the sitting Labour member owners absorbed most of the Year, a collection of New York Times Daniel Curtin, Wake was again costs of her stay. In 2003, Wake obituaries published in 2012.12 unsuccessful. Around 1985, Wake chose to move to the Royal Star and John Forward left Sydney to and Garter Home for Disabled PERSONALITY retire to Port Macquarie. Ex-Service Men and Women in Nancy Wake did not like killing Richmond, London, where she people. But in wartime, she once LATER LIFE remained until her death. told an interviewer, “I don’t see In 1985, Wake published her why we women should just wave autobiography, The White Mouse, Wake had received the George our men a proud goodbye and which became a bestseller and Medal, 1939-45 Star, France and then knit them balaclavas.”13 has been reprinted many times. Germany Star, Defence Medal, When the Nazi’s violence British War Medal 1939-45, terrorised her city, those attacks After Wake’s third failed French Officer of the Legion of made her promise herself that attempt to enter politics, she Honour, French “if ever the opportunity arose, I and her husband John Forward with Star and two Palms, US would do everything I could” to ultimately retired to Port Medal for Freedom with Palm and stop the Nazi movement, for her Macquarie, Australia where they French Medaille de la Resistance “hatred of the Nazis was very, lived until his death in 1997. The for her courageous endeavours. very deep.”14 couple were married for 40 years Wakes' medals are now on display and had no children. in the Second World War gallery When it came to the war and 11 at War Memorial. her training with the SOE, Wake In 2001, Wake left Australia once said “I was never afraid,” DEATH for the last time and immigrated she said. “I was too busy to be to London. She became a resident Wake died on Sunday evening afraid.”15 On a side note, Wake at the Stafford Hotel in St James' 7th August, 2011, age 98, at never figured out what to do Place, near Piccadilly, formerly a Kingston Hospital after being with her life after the war. “It’s

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dreadful because you’ve been so 10. The Telegraph, “Nancy Wake”, busy, and then it all just fizzles http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/obituaries/military- out,” she told an Australian obituaries/special-forces- newspaper in 1983.16 obituaries/8689765/Nancy- Wake.html. Wake kept on being an activist 11. , “Nancy Wake, Proud Spy and Nazi Foe, in WWII education even after her Dies at age 98”, http://www. retirement and her attempts on nytimes.com/2011/08/14/world/ joining politics shows that Wake /14wake.html?_r=0. has always been an enthusiast in 12. Ibid. making the world a better place, 13. Ibid. especially after what she had 14. Ibid. witnessed during the was. She 15. Ibid. led by example, not only as a 16. Ibid. woman, but also as a hero, which left a huge impact in the Allies victory in WWII. 

ENDNOTES 1. , “Nancy Grace Augusta ‘The White Mouse’ Wake”, https://www.awm.gov. au/people/P332/. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. , "Nancy Wake obituary", http://www. theguardian.com/world/2011/ aug/08/nancy-wake-obituary. 5. Australian War Memorial, “Nancy Grace Augusta ‘The White Mouse’ Wake”, https://www.awm.gov. au/people/P332/. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Women in the Services, "Nancy Wake," http:// www.womenintheservices. com/?page_id=479 9. Australian War Memorial, “Nancy Grace Augusta ‘The White Mouse’ Wake”, https://www.awm.gov. au/people/P332/.

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