ON August 18, Paul Barwick gave Crediton and District u3a an excellent talk on Nancy Wake, the White Mouse. Nancy was one of the 39 women agents in the Special Operations Executive, who made a huge difference to the success of covert operations in France during World War Two.

Nancy was born in New Zealand and brought up in Australia, before coming to England at the age of 20.

In London, she trained as a journalist and then worked as a foreign correspondent for the Hearst newspaper group, based in Paris. Here she met and married a wealthy French industrialist, Henry Fiocca.

In other circumstances, her life might have turned into one of luxurious idleness; however World War Two intervened.

Based in Marseilles, she was a part of the underground network to get stranded allied soldiers and airmen to safety in neutral Spain. The Gestapo knew of her activities but not who she was, and they gave her the nickname, the White Mouse.

Nancy escaped to England shortly before she was discovered. Her husband was not so lucky, and he was killed by the Gestapo.

In England, Nancy trained as an undercover agent and was air-dropped into France to liaise with the Resistance in 1944.

Here she took on a leading role in the Maquis’s activities during and after D-day, even leading one assault on a Gestapo headquarters that resulted in the deaths of 38 Gestapo officers. After the war she received medals from France, the UK, America and Australia, recognising her important role.

Nancy married for a second time and lived to the age of 98 in first Australia and then England.

Paul’s talk gave us a real feeling for the special role she and the other women in the SOE played during World War Two. Many thanks Paul for a great talk.

Report by Liz Ouldridge