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Nancy Grace Augusta Wake AC, GM (The White Mouse)

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Nancy Grace Augusta Wake AC, GM (The White Mouse) SPECIAL UNIT PEOPLE PROFILES Nancy Grace SPECIAL Augusta Wake AC, GM (the White Mouse) Nancy Wake’s great grandmother Pourewa was OPERATIONS the first Maori to marry a white man, in 1836. The most decorated female servicewoman in WWII EXECUTIVE (SOE) Code Names: Like many European settler families Nancy Wake, the Médaille de la Résistance led attacks on German and the Croix de Guerre with Baker Street Irregulars born in New Zealand in 1912 came from a genetic operations. She even killed two bronze palms and a silver Churchill’s Secret melting pot. Her family’s origins were French an SS Sentry with her bare star from France. Huguenot, English and Maori. hands to stop him from raising Army the alarm. She wrote her autobiography The Ministry of When she was a small child, give any information about his in 1988 entitled ‘The White Ungentlemanly her family moved to Sydney, wife to his captors. and he died One of her crowning Mouse.’ After working for Australia, and at 16 she ran because of it. achievements came when the Intelligence Department Warfare Fact File away from home to train as a Nancy cycled 500km in just 71 for the British Air Ministry, she SOE was established by Code names nurse. An aunt died and left After several dangerous hours through several German returned to Australia in 1960 British Prime Minister Winston The White Mouse, Heléne, her £200, and she used this attempts to cross the Pyrenees checkpoints to replace codes and stood as Liberal political Churchill and Minister of Madame Andrée, Witch money to travel the world, mountains into Spain, Nancy her wireless operator had candidate. In 1988 she Economic Warfare Hugh D.O.B 30 August 1912 finally training as a journalist finally made it and went to been forced to destroy during received the French title of Dalton in July 1940 to P.O.B Wellington, in London. By 1935 she Britain to join the SOE. a German raid. Without the Chevalier of the Legion conduct warfare by means New Zealand was working in Europe and codes they could not order of Honour. other than direct fighting. Service/Branch witnessed first hand the violent She became one of 39 women supplies or weapon drops. She Special Operations protests against the Jews and and 430 men in the French made the journey almost non- In 2004 she was made a As a British resistance Executive (SOE), gypsies by the Nazis. Section of the SOE whose stop through mountains and Companion of the Order movement, its mission was First Aid Nursing job was to work with French countryside. After the war her of Australia and in 2006 she to place spies behind Yeomanry (FANY) Having now married French resistance groups and to find achievements were formally was awarded the Royal enemy lines. Years of service 1943 - 1945 industrialist Henri Fiocca, she ways to stop the Germans. recognised with medals New Zealand Returned and Rank Captain lived in Marseilles when France Her training with SOE included and awards. Services Association’s highest A variety of people from all Unit Freelance was invaded by the Germans survival skills, silent killing, codes, honour – the RSA Badge in backgrounds, ethnicities Engagements in 1939. Nancy joined the radio operation and night Nancy Wake received the Gold. She now she lives in a and social classes served World War II French Resistance and parachuting. She often had George Medal from Britain for nursing home for veterans in the movement. Indeed behind enemy lines worked as a courier. She was to work with plastic explosives, leadership and bravery under in London. SOE turned a blind eye to in France perceived as a massive threat Sten guns, rifles, pistols and fire, the US Medal of Freedom, those who were known Awards by the Germans, who tapped grenades. Her official cover homosexuals, had criminal Companion of the her telephone, intercepted her story was that she was part of records or bad (military) Order of Australia mail and gave her the code the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. conduct records, were George Medal name ‘White Mouse.’ Project: For your eyes only Communist or even Chevalier de la Légion In April 1944 Nancy Wake anti-British. d’Honneur (France) Her life was in constant parachuted into Auvergne Croix de Guerre danger, and by 1943 she was where she remained until the Wake was one of thirty nine women and The key attribute for agents (France) the Gestapo’s most wanted liberation of France. four hundred and thirty men in the was a deep knowledge Medal of Freedom (USA) person. They offered 5 million French section of the SOE. Her heritage and language skills of the francs to anyone who could She was the liaison between RSA Badge in Gold (NZ) is a mixture of English, French and Maori. country in which the agent hand her over. By year end, London and the local Maquis Other Work Do you think she may have experienced any had to operate, so they Nursing Nancy had to flee Marseilles, resistance group. Always prejudice or discrimination in her life or could pass as a native of Intelligence Officer leaving her husband behind brave with a proud fighting wartime service? Do you think her appearance the country. The SOE was Politician who was later captured, spirit, she coordinated officially dissolved after the would have helped or hindered her work as a tortured and killed by the resistance activity, recruited war in January 1946. Germans. He had refused to more members and also secret agent? 32 --- ..- - ... .. -.. Unit 2 New Zealand 33.
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