Thursday, August 24, 2017

Pencil sketch of an anti Nazi SOE Agent by Dr K Prabhakar Rao

EILEEN NAERNE

She was the daughter of an Englishman. And Spanish mother along with her sister Jacquelene and brother. In 1923 they moved to France where the sisters became very fluent in French.When Germany attacked France the sisters moved to London via Barcelona, Portugal, and Spain. She was offered a job in Women's Air Force she refused it and joined SoE F section.Initially she received messages from agents working outside. later she was sent by aircraft along with Jean Savy to France on 2 March 1944 where she worked as wireless operation. They had to engage in activities of sabotage apart from assisting raising finance for resistance. Her code name was Rose. they setup a net work called Wizard in Paris.She transmitted 105 messages in next five months. She was arrested in July 1944 when her transmitter was located.She was taken to Gestapo head quarters in Paris and tortured. She tried to fool Gerstapo saying that she sent messages to a business man not knowing that he was a British. in 15 Aug 44 she was sent to Ravensbruck camp where she refused to do prison work. her head was shaved and sent to forced labour camp at Silesia. She as a member of working gang in a forest escaped on 13 April 45. She was caught by SS but she fooled them and was released. She was hidden by a father in Leipzig till Us forces entered Germany. And she was free woman. She returned to London. And stayed with her sister at London till 1982 when her sister died. She moved to a flat in Torquay . She died of heart attack and her body was not found till few days as she was alone in the flat. She was given a free funeral by District funeral body on 2 sept 2010. She was earlier awarded MBE by King George VI and Groix de Guerrero FG by France for her services in liberation during WW II.

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