"I hate wars and violence, but if they come I don't see why we women should just wave our men a proud goodbye and then knit them balaclavas." – Nancy Wake
Wartime heroes are enviably defined by the violence they commit. Violence that seeks justification within a specific tumultuous timeframe, committed in the name of survival amid situations that many of us will never find ourselves. But, Nancy Wake’s story although drenched in the stink of war, is ultimately one of unshackled expectation – against extraordinary odds.
Early Life
Ella Rosieur Wake gave birth in Wellington, New Zealand on the 30th of August 1912 to the last of her six children. A girl, Nancy, whose exceptional life would stretch out well into the next hundred years to come; possessed by a steadfast spirit that not even the might of Hitler’s armies could suppress.
Her early childhood was unsettled and would be marked by a move to Sydney, Australia and subsequent desertion by her father. Raised solely by her authoritarian mother Nancy’s rebellious independence would see her run away from home at just sixteen. She had long yearned to travel and her gypsy heart would soon be given the opportunity via a £200 gift from an aunt. It was the 1930’s and the wonders of pre-war Europe would soon be enchanting this young spy in waiting.
Journalism, Marriage and War
"The storm troopers had tied the Jewish people up to massive wheels. They were rolling the wheels along, and the storm troopers were whipping the Jews. I stood there and thought, 'I don't know what I'll do about it, but if I can do anything one day, I'll do it." – Nancy Wake
Traveling first to London and finally Europe Nancy would eventually find work as a reporter. As Hearst newspapers European correspondent she immersed herself in a world of society and glamour. But it would be in Vienna that the stark reality of pre-war anti-Semitic violence would deeply affect and dramatically change the course of her life.
Six months before Germany’s invasion Nancy married, ‘… the love of my life.’, wealthy French industrialist, Henri Fiocca. They settled in Marseilles and she enjoyed a life far removed from her troubled past; a short-lived taste of the very best that high society had to offer.
Birth of the White Mouse
1940, Hitler’s legions had rolled in Poland and war in Europe was now a reality. Nancy joined the French resistance as a courier, utilizing her position as the wife of an important businessman to ferry messages and supplies. Her missions became increasingly dangerous as she became eminent in funneling allied fighters into the undergrounds escape network.
Her efforts were such that by 1942 the Gestapo had become aware of an ‘agent’ of significance. Nancy was elevated to number one on the Gestapo’s most wanted list and a bounty of 5 million francs was placed for her capture; they codenamed her: The White Mouse.
Escaping the Reich
By 1943 Nancy had become a suspect with her phones being tapped and mail intercepted. It became too risky to remain in France so, at the insistence of her husband, she escaped to Spain. At one point she was actually captured and interrogated by the French militia; holding out for four days before finally persuading her captors that she was of no importance.
British Special Operations
On return to England Nancy was recruited into the French Section of the British Special Operations Executive. This was a unit whose mission was to work alongside and aid resistance groups in the occupied territories. So Nancy, now aged 31, entered a world of codes, survival and weapons instruction. Officially she was listed as undergoing instruction in first aid, the covert nature of her training remaining classified until after the war.
Return to France
"She is the most feminine woman I know, until the fighting starts. Then she is like five men." – Henri Tardivat, wartime comrade.
April of 1944 – Nancy parachutes back into the thick of war. Initially she is put in control of 7000 guerrilla fighters; the Normandy invasion was imminent and the groundwork had to be laid. She led attacks on checkpoints and instillations, time and again proving a match to any of the men at her side.
The fiercest confrontation she faced came as 22,000 SS troops amassed against her 7000 Maquis. This was June, 1944 and the might of Germany crushed into the Auvergne, by battles end 1,400 German infantrymen lay dead.
End of the War – Sadness and Triumph
On June 6, 1944, D-Day came into effect and the beginning of the end finally arrived. But celebrations would be bittersweet as Nancy came to learn of her husband Henri's death. He had been tortured and executed for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of his wife; yet another causality in the over 600,000 French lives claimed by the war.
Post-War Recognition
"They can stick their award and be thankful it's not a pineapple." – Nancy Wake
Following the war Nancy continued to work for British intelligence before remarrying and returning to Australia to live. She would be honored internationally many times for her bravery but recognition from the country of her youth would be a long time coming.
- George Medal (Britain)
- Companion of the Order of Australia
- US Medal of Freedom with Bronze Palm
- Légion d’honneur (France)
- Croix de guerre with two bronze palms and a silver star (France)
- RSA Badge in Gold – (New Zealand)
In 2001 Nancy once again left Australia and now resides in Richmond, Surrey.
Resources:
- Nancy Wake: A Biography of Our Greatest War Heroine. Fitzsimons, Peter; Harper Collins, (2001)
- Autobiography of the Woman the Gestapo Called the White Mouse. Wake, Nancy; Macmillan (1985)
