Now that we are in autumn and the weather has turned a little chilly, there will be many days ahead when a good book is definitely in need. With the colder weather, brings mice to some country properties, and as I was recently at a country property, I had the unwanted "pleasure" of seeing evidence of mice around the property.
That brought me to thinking about a wonderful autobiography written by Australia's famous Nancy Wake also known as "the white mouse". Yes, a rather weird way to be reminded of this excellent book, however, I am glad I thought about it again, because it is well worth a re-read.
For those of you who do not know, Nancy Wake was an Australian, albeit born in New Zealand and arrived in Australia when she was a babe, who left Australia in her twenties and went to live in London and France. There she met and married a wealthy Frenchman and her life, as she thought, was very full until the outbreak of war and the invasion by Germany into France.
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This is the story of one woman who was a spy during World War II. The autobiography is a candid story about the Americans, the British and of course the French. Nancy was trained in England to fight in the French Resistance; she became a courier for the French Resistance and later joined the escape network.
Nancy Wake was called "the white mouse" by the Gestapo because of her ability to elude capture. The Resistance had to be very careful with her missions; her life was in constant danger, with the Gestapo tapping her phone and intercepting her mail. The death of her husband at the hands of the Nazis is so sad ... he was tortured to death because he would not reveal where his wife was.
Nancy is straight forward in her autobiography and quite humble ... there is humour, as she does seem to have a wicked sense of humour ... I particularly like the story about drinking tequila, with a deceitful reporter, and she drinking him under the table when she was 60! It really lifts your spirits in a book where her stories will leave the reader aghast with her courage and the adventures she undertook.
Her duties included allocating arms and equipment that were parachuted in and minding the group's finances. Nancy Wake became instrumental in recruiting more members and making the Maquis groups into a formidable force, roughly 7,500 strong. She also led attacks on German installations and the local Gestapo headquarters in Montlucon, France. Nancy was award many awards for courage including:
Image - ABC Shop
This is the story of one woman who was a spy during World War II. The autobiography is a candid story about the Americans, the British and of course the French. Nancy was trained in England to fight in the French Resistance; she became a courier for the French Resistance and later joined the escape network.
Nancy Wake was called "the white mouse" by the Gestapo because of her ability to elude capture. The Resistance had to be very careful with her missions; her life was in constant danger, with the Gestapo tapping her phone and intercepting her mail. The death of her husband at the hands of the Nazis is so sad ... he was tortured to death because he would not reveal where his wife was.
Nancy is straight forward in her autobiography and quite humble ... there is humour, as she does seem to have a wicked sense of humour ... I particularly like the story about drinking tequila, with a deceitful reporter, and she drinking him under the table when she was 60! It really lifts your spirits in a book where her stories will leave the reader aghast with her courage and the adventures she undertook.
Her duties included allocating arms and equipment that were parachuted in and minding the group's finances. Nancy Wake became instrumental in recruiting more members and making the Maquis groups into a formidable force, roughly 7,500 strong. She also led attacks on German installations and the local Gestapo headquarters in Montlucon, France. Nancy was award many awards for courage including:
Croix de guerre (France)
Medal of Freedom (United States)
RSA Badge in Gold (New Zealand)
Nancy returned to Australia and lived here for many years before returning to France in her latter years. Nancy died at the age of 98 in 2011 in France. This autobiography is a little hard to find, however, it's well worth the effort...here
I am sure you will enjoy this courageous woman's story ... Wendy
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