Aug 07, 2011 nancy wake was a woman of exceptional courage and resourcefulness whose daring exploits saved the lives of hundreds of allied personnel and helped bring the nazi occupation of france to an end. Nancy wake is appointed companion of the order of australia. Jul 19, 2014 this week, a new, locally made docudrama called nancy wake. Born 30 august 1912 in wellington, new zealand, wake grew up in sydney, australia. This is the incredible true story of nancy wake, the daring allied spy. Aug 08, 2011 nancy wake had ordered her first bloody good drink there in 1946, lured to the bar, like many former secret agents, by the hotels then general manager, louis burdet, who had himself also. At the age of 16 nancy ran away from home to work as a nurse in the country. Wake underwent a wartime metamorphosis, from a funloving youth to a highly decorated resistance fighter. Her family moved to sydney, where she grew up, when nancy was just 20 months old. Nancy wake, the white mouse of the french resistance. Nancy wake, an australian who became one of the most highly decorated women of world war ii, here tells her own story. In the early 1930s she went first to england and then paris as a freelance journalist and there met and married henri fiocca, a wealthy french.
Rte 1 radio documentary, nancy wake and harry potter, first broadcast 9aug2011. This is the incredible true story of nancy wake, the. Wakes dramatic life story and her feisty, courageous personality made her the ideal subject for documentaries and dramatisations. Overall nancy wake had more of an immediate impact on the war efforts, but it could be argued that her impact was also long term due to the many lives she saved. Her short term impact was that she was an amazing spy and helped lead the french resistance into many successful attacks on germany. This website gave me information about the soe program and how it came to be.
Reads like a thriller my heart was pounding as nancy set up links with resistance workers, drove ambulances, transported black market goods, exchanged messages, came face to face with the gestapo and was placed under arrest. Nancy wake simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Nancy grace augusta wake, ac, gm 30 august 1912 7 august 2011 also known as nancy fiocca was a new zealandborn nurse and journalist who joined the french resistance and later the special operations executive soe during world war ii, and briefly pursued a postwar career as an intelligence officer in the air ministry. Nancy wake had a difficult childhood growing up in sydney. In 1933 she worked in paris and later for hearst newspapers as a european correspondent. Oct 27, 2010 as a war hero, nancy wake was a pioneering feminist that spoke loudly with words and backed them up with actions. Aug 08, 2011 during the second world war, the servicewoman nancy wake, who has died aged 98, became known as the white mouse, a nickname given to her by the gestapo for her elusiveness. Regrettably the insights, such as they are, are clumsily interjected, breaking up the flow of the actual drama itself. Aug 07, 2011 nancy grace augusta wake 30 august 1912 7 august 2011 known as the white mouse, was an australian who worked as a spy for the british in world war ii. Nancy grace augusta wake new zealandborn intelligence.
Gestapos most wanted french resistance documentary timeline. One of the allies most decorated servicewomen of world war ii, nancy wake was a key figure in the french resistance. Nancy wake was far from a damsel in distress, and by the end of the war was number one on the gestapos most wanted list. Nancy wake is a 1987 australian miniseries on the exploits of new zealander b. Gestapos most wanted world war 2 documentary drama film on dvd, directed by mike smith. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. After initially being admitted to kingston hospital for a minor chest infection, her health deteriorated quickly. The white mouse who roared the sydney morning herald. Nancy wake the autobiography she published the royal new zealand returned and survises association awards wake its highest houner, the rsa badge in gold wake resigns from the foregn office and retuns to to sydney, arriving in january 1949. Nancy wake, nicknamed the white mouse for her ability to evade capture, tells her own story. She tells her own story with interviews, reconstructions, stills and film footage in nancy wake code name. Nancy wake by russell braddon is much the same with perhaps more clinical details, as russells book was originally published in 1985, and told to him by nancy herself. The white mouse tells the story of how nancy came to live in france and become involved with the resistance. Nancy wake became one the allies most decorated servicewomen for her role in the french resistance during world war ii.
At one time she was on the top of the gestapos most wanted list. Nancy wake, who fled australia to see the world at 16, ended up at the top of the gestapos mostwanted list for her leading role. She now lives in the royal star and garter home for exservicemen in richmond, west london. Working with the french resistance in world war ii she saved the lives of countless refugees and downed allied airmen. Farewell to nancy wake, the mouse who ran rings around the. Nancy wake had ordered her first bloody good drink there in 1946, lured to the bar, like many former secret agents, by the hotels then general manager, louis burdet, who had himself also. Jul 20, 2014 she parachuted out airplanes, bicycled 500 km. Nancy wake ww2 freedom fighter, allied agent, and the. Nancy grace augusta wake, the white mouse, new zealandborn intelligence agent born aug.
After living and working in paris in the 1930s, nancy married a wealthy frenchman and settled in marseilles. Wake fought the infection for over one week, but eventually died peacefully on sunday august 7. World war ii timeline details the first significant naval battle in the pacific theater. Jan 01, 1985 a truelife account of soe nancy wake, aka the white mouse. A novel by sebastian faulks based on her life called charlotte gray, was later made into a movie starring cate blanchett. Nancy grace augusta wake was a special operations executive agent of the british at the time of the second world war. At the outbreak of world war ii, wake was working as a journalist. A portrait of nancy wake, painted by robert hannaford. Nancy becomes increasingly involved in the war effort by taking advantage of her social position as a courier and then she became a member of the allied escape route organisation aero. My timeline on nancy wake by claire mccutcheon on prezi. As a woman, wake didnt look threatening to the nazi troops. Read nancy wake by peter fitzsimons available from rakuten kobo.
Nancy grace augusta wake 30 august 1911 7 august 2011 known as the white mouse, was an australian who worked as a spy for the british in world war ii. Aug 14, 2011 nancy grace augusta wake was born aug. Nancy wake was a woman of exceptional courage and resourcefulness whose daring exploits saved the lives of hundreds of allied personnel and. With nancy wakes effectiveness and efforts, she was able to save many jews and a numerous number of allied troops. Her mother was a dogmatically strict religious woman. Born on august 30, 1912, wake spent her earliest years growing up in roseneath, wellington, new zealand with her parents and five older siblings. Nancy wake, whom the gestapo codenamed the white mouse was the allies most decorated servicewoman of world war ii. The gripping true story of the woman who became the gestapos most wanted spy in the early 1930s, nancy wake was a. Aug 08, 2011 farewell to nancy wake, the mouse who ran rings around the nazis the ww2 resistance heroine, who has died aged 98, was a force of nature who topped the gestapos mostwanted list. The gestapo who called wake the white mouse, declared a price of 5 millionfranc on her head.
I hate wars and violence but if they come then i dont see why we women should just wave our men a proud goodbye and then knit them balaclavas. A biography of our greatest war heroine, harpercollins, pymble, new south wales, 2002,isbn 0007144016. A biography of our greatest war heroine fitzsimons, peter on. During the second world war, the servicewoman nancy wake, who has. Autobiography of the woman the gestapo called the white mouse, macmillan. Nancy grace augusta forward wake, ac, gm 1912 2011. Nancy wake, who died on sunday, was this countrys most decorated service woman. The thrilling true story of nancy wake, the french wartime agent who lived a life of adventure. After the fall of france in 1940, she joined the escape network of captain ian garrow, which. During the second world war, the servicewoman nancy wake, who has died aged 98, became known as the white mouse, a nickname given to her by the gestapo for her elusiveness. The youngest of six children, nancy wake came to australia with her parents when she was 20 months old. Nancy grace augusta wake 30 august 1912 7 august 2011 known as the white mouse, was an australian who worked as a spy for the british in world war ii.
Nancy wake was an amazing woman, one whose courage and tenacity is legendary. The gripping true story of the woman who became the gestapos most wanted spy in the early 1930s, nancy wake was a young. Gestapos most wanted nancy wake, the white mouse nonusa format, pal, reg. Nancy grace augusta wake was a special operations executive agent of the british at the time of the second world war and among the most wanted spies by the gestapo. I have previously read the autobiography of the woman the gestapo called the white mouse, of which i have an autographed copy. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, achievements and timeline. During the war in france, wake served as an ambulance driver. Farewell to nancy wake, the mouse who ran rings around the nazis the ww2 resistance heroine, who has died aged 98, was a force of nature who topped the gestapos mostwanted list. She witnessed the rise of adolf hitler and the nazi movement, and saw roving nazi gangs randomly beating jewish men and women in the streets of vienna.
May 23, 2018 genealogy profile for charles augustus wake charles augustus wake 1870 1952 genealogy genealogy for charles augustus wake 1870 1952 family tree on geni, with over 190 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. But, what led this spunky, teenage runaway to become an inglorious bastardsstyle nazi killer. Nancy grace augusta wake the australian war memorial. Aug 08, 2011 nancy wake, the french resistance fighter who became australias most decorated world war ii heroine, has died in a london hospital at the age of 98. Nancy wake, was one of the most effective and cunning british agents working in germanoccupied france during world war ii. Nancy wake, the french resistance fighter who became australias most decorated world war ii heroine, has died in a london hospital at the age of 98. Timetoasts free timeline maker lets you create timelines online. Trained in handtohand combat, espionage, sabotage, and able to drink her male counterparts under the table, she was known as one of the most fearsome resistance fighters during wwii. Nancy wake, who fled australia to see the world at 16, ended up at the top of the gestapos mostwanted list.
This week, a new, locally made docudrama called nancy wake. Nancy grace augusta wake, ac, gm 30 august 1912 7 august 2011 also known as nancy fiocca was a new zealandborn nurse and journalist who joined the french. Of course, nancy wake didnt begin her life as a secret agent throughout europe in fact, the years before world war ii exploded the international community into chaos, she was living in australia. Make educational timelines or create a timeline for your company website. Her father, a journalist, left the family shortly after moving them to sydney, australia. He sold the family home and never came back, resulting in his family being evicted. Her father was a journalist who went to live in new zealand to make a movie about maoris. Nancy wake, a prominent figure in the french resistance during the second world war, was born in wellington, new zealand, on 30 august 1912. Nancy wake died on august 7, 2011, less than one month before her 99th birthday. While she was still alive, nancy wake, wwiis most decorated woman for her extraordinary war feats, hated people who messed up her life story. The gestapo called her the white mouse for the way she deftly avoided their traps. This is the incredible true story of nancy wake, the daring allied spy who became the gestapos most wanted woman in wwii. Once she is a member she helps hundreds of escaped prisoners, political refugees, survivors of the dunkerque evacuation of allied troops and downed allied fliers seeking a safe passage out of france and into spain. As the gestapos most wanted person, and one of the most highly decorated servicewomen of the war, its a story worth telling.
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