![]() ![]() He had, until the end, refused to give them any information about his wife, codenamed the White Mouse by the Germans.Įven before she escaped to Britain, through Spain, in 1943 to train as a guerrilla leader, Nancy had been top of the Gestapo's French "wanted" list. She discovered in Vichy in August 1944 that Henri, a wealthy businessman, had been captured, tortured and executed by the Nazis in Marseille the previous year. She was too busy killing Nazis for amorous entanglements, she said.īesides, until she led her men into Vichy, the headquarters of the pro-Nazi wartime French government, she believed that her French husband, Henri Fiocca, was still alive. NANCY WAKE SERIESMs Wake was also furious the TV series suggested she had had a love affair with one of her fellow fighters. Even if there had been why would I be frying it? I had men to do that sort of thing." For goodness' sake, did the Allies parachute me into France to fry eggs and bacon for the men? There wasn't an egg to be had for love nor money. "At one stage they had me cooking eggs and bacon to feed the men. "It was well-acted but in parts it was extremely stupid," she said. Ms Wake, one of the models for Sebastian Faulks' fictional heroine, Charlotte Gray, had mixed feelings about previous cinematic efforts to portray her wartime exploits, including a TV mini-series made in 1987. Work began earlier in August 2011 on a feature film about Nancy Wake's life. In June 1944, she led her fighters in an attack on the Gestapo headquarters at Montlucon in central France. On another, she cycled 500 miles to replace lost codes. On one occasion, she strangled an SS sentry with her bare hands. She led 7,000 guerrilla fighters in battles against the Nazis in the northern Auvergne, just before the D-Day landings in 1944. She became a nurse, a journalist who interviewed Adolf Hitler, a wealthy French socialite, a British agent and a French resistance leader. Ms Wake, who has died in London just before her 99th birthday, was a New Zealander brought up in Australia. It was an extraordinary story and an extraordinary life. Nancy Wake, "the White Mouse" and the most decorated woman of the 1939-45 war, disliked people messing around with her life story. When you select any Amazon item to buy from the Voices Education Project web site, and then check out at, a portion of your purchase price will be paid to Voices to support our work. Please note : As at 12-February-2016 this plaque has been removed from viewing due to renovations to the hotel.Learn more about Nancy Wake (click here for information and purchase) Port Macquarie and the Hastings district was her home from 1985 to 2001, where she lived with her second husband John Forward until his death in 1997. Finally after much controversy she was honoured with the Order of Australia in 2004. She was awarded numerous bravery medals, including the Congressional Medal of Freedom by the US, the George Medal from Britain and three top French honours: the Legion d'Honneur, the Croix de Guerre, and the Medaille de la Resistance. She fought alongside men in a male dominated war, she was in command of over 700 resistance fighters and she showed unique courage.Ĭalled the White Mouse by the Germans because of her ability to evade capture, her life has been chronicled in three books, one an autobiography, and inspired Australian actor Cate Blanchett's role in the film Charlotte Gray. Nancy Grace Augusta Wake was the Patron of Airborne and Special Forces Association Australia for many years and a true heroine of World War Two.Ī New Zealander by birth, an Australian by choice, French because of love and English by experience, Nancy influenced so many and was an example of the spirit of freedom with her service and sacrifice during World War Two. The North plaque is located at the Stafford Hotel in London, the West plaque at Marseille Railway Station in France, the East plaque at Rydges Hotel in Wellington New Zealand and the South plaque has now been laid at Rydges Hotel in Port Macquarie. ![]() The plaque signifies the end of a project that has laid commemorative plaques in four nations honouring the World War Two heroine. The plaque commemorates Nancy Wake, a prominent figure in the French resistance during World War Two. ![]()
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