Born in New Zealand, raised in Sydney, Nancy Wake never liked being at home. After twice running away from her family, she made the trip to London just as soon as she was old enough, and shortly afterwards moved to Paris, where she worked as a journalist. She was living in France and newly wed when the Germans invaded. Through a chance encounter with a English officer she joined the resistance, later becoming a spy for the British in occupied France. She proved to be an invaluable asset for the Allies; a resourceful, brave, and utterly ruthless warrior. The Economist has published a wonderful obituary, to be read in full. The Wikipedia entry is also good, and from that I take this priceless snippet:
On the night of 29–30 April 1944 she was parachuted into the Auvergne, becoming a liaison between London and the local maquis group headed by Captain Henri Tardivat. Upon discovering her tangled in a tree, Captain Tardivat greeted her, remarking "I hope that all the trees in France bear such beautiful fruit this year," to which she replied, “Don’t give me that French shit.”
Reminds me of Alice.
Posted by: Robbie | August 24, 2011 at 05:21 PM