NANCY WAKE by Peter FitzSimons

In February 2016 we read Nancy Wake 

In the early 1930s, Nancy Wake was a young woman enjoying a bohemian life in Paris. By the end of the second world war she was the Gestapo's most wanted person. As a naïve, young journalist, Nancy Wake witnessed a horrific scene of Nazi violence in a Viennese street. From that moment, she declared that she would do everything in her power to rid Europe of the Nazi presence. What began as a career job here and there, became a highly successful escape network for allied soldiers, perfectly camouflaged by Nancy’s high society life in Marseille. Her network was soon so successful – and so notorious – that she had to flee France to escape the Gestapo who had dubbed her 'the White Mouse' for her knack of slipping through its traps.

But Nancy was a passionate enemy of the Nazis and refused to stay away. She trained with the British Special Operators Executive and parachuted back into France behind enemy lines. Again, this singular woman rallied to the cause, helping to lead a powerful underground fighting force, the Maquis. Supplying weapons and training the civilian Maquis, organising allied parachute drops, cycling four hundred kilometres across a mountain range to find a new transmitting radio – nothing seemed to difficult in her fight against the Nazis.

Peter FitzSimons reveals Nancy Wake's compelling story, a tale of an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things.

In a Few Words: A Fearless Woman; Compassionate; Educational; Enlightening; Freedom is the Only Thing Worth Fighting For; Historical; Unemotional

Our Star Rating:

A Delightful Morning Tea with a French theme was provided by our Hostess Marion for this occasion.  The menu included: Croissants with cheese or ham, Cheese roll and dip, Camembert cheese and crackers, red wine, grapes, French sticks, French orange marmalade from St Dalfour and French Gateau.  Magnifique!