Book Read Free

White Mouse

Page 23

by Nancy Wake


  Perhaps I haven’t achieved what I set out to do over fifty years ago but on the whole I have led an interesting life. Certainly it has seldom been boring.

  One thing I have appreciated more than anything else is that the true friends I made over the years remained true friends and to some of them I owe my life. Perhaps I should dedicate this book to all my friends, wherever they may be.

  INDEX

  ‘Albert’ (resistance worker), 179

  Alexander, King of Yugoslavia, 6, 7, 8

  Allier, the (département), 136, 144, 153, 157

  Alsop, John, 138, 139, 140, 142, 148, 150, 151, 152, 154, 183

  Anderson, Ron, 93, 94

  ‘Anselm’ see Bazooka

  Armistice Convention, 38

  Arnal, Frank, 58, 59, 60, 64

  Aurillac, 131–3

  Auvergne, the, 114, 120, 123, 130, 131, 134, 137, 157–8, 190; see also Maquis

  Bachelor, Raymond, 105, 106, 109–10

  Barton, New South Wales, 175–6

  Basso’s Bar, Marseille, 42, 45, 46

  Bazooka (‘Anselm’, René Dusacq), 121–3, 124, 125, 128, 130, 135, 136, 137, 190

  Beaulieu, Hampshire, 108, 109

  Beaumont, Jimmy, 91, 92

  Besalu gaol, 86–7

  Bismark (German ship), 49

  black market, 145, 193

  Bourges, 133

  Braddon, Russell, 196

  Briançon, 58, 66, 67, 68

  Brion, 134

  Brindley, Michael, 196, 199

  British Broadcasting Corporation, 119, 136, 148, 190

  British Expeditionary Force, 39

  Broad, Richard, 102, 103, 104, 119

  Buchanan, Graham, 126, 127

  Buchenwald, 115, 173

  Buckmaster, Colonel, 104, 116, 135, 157, 162

  Busch, Commander (‘Xavier’), 43, 47, 51, 52, 54, 59, 60, 63, 64

  Caillat, Pepe, 36

  Camargue, the, 18, 19, 20

  Canet-Plage, 79, 80

  Cannes, 6, 29, 49

  Carne, Colonel, 178

  Carve Her Name With Pride: see Szabo, Violette Castres prison, 76, 78

  Châteauroux, 131, 132, 133, 134, 199

  Chaudes-Aigues, 116, 117, 118, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127, 129, 197

  Chevalier, Maurice, 36

  Clarke, Captain, 109

  Clermont–Ferrand area, 137

  Cole, ‘Paul’ (Sergeant Harold), 50, 199

  collaborators, 65, 93, 194, 195

  Combined Operations Headquarters, 103

  Corrèze, the, 134

  Cosne-d’Allier, 114, 138

  Dauchau, 63, 81, 159

  Darling, Donald, 93, 160

  ‘Denden’, see Rake, Denis

  Deuxième Bureau, 16–17

  Dieppe raid by Allies, 55

  Digard, Andrée, 30

  Digard, Micheline, 30, 31, 47, 95, 96–7, 100, 196

  Dowding, Bruce, 47

  Dunkirk, 39, 47

  Dusacq, René, see Bazooka

  Ficetole family, 54–5, 58, 69, 72, 154

  Fidelity, HMS, 48

  Fiocca, Henri, 26, 27–8, 31–33; army call-up, 37–8; arrest and death, 51; death, 153–4, 155, 158, 196; return to Marseille, 39; mentioned, 45, 47, 50, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73, 74, 80, 89, 100, 112; see also Wake, Nancy

  Forward, John, 57, 181; see also Wake, Nancy

  Fournier, Henri, 116, 117, 118, 120–22, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 129, 197

  Fragnes, Château de, 151–4, 199

  Franco, General, 28

  Françoise, 74, 76, 77, 81

  Free French movement, 102, 134, 135; see also Konig, General

  Free Zone, 39, 49, 71, 78

  Fridfont, 127, 128, 197

  Gamelin, General, 39

  Gaspard, Colonel, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 126, 197; evacuation of Vichy, 153; battle of Mont-Mouchet, 128

  Garrow, Ian, 48, 49, 50, 53, 56, 57, 58, 97, 99, 103; escape to England, 62; Mauzac concentration camp, 59, 60, 61, 62, 198

  Gaulle de, General, 41, 42, 43, 51, 102, 192

  George VI, 165, 173

  Germans, 144, 147, 152; migration to Paris, 1933, 4; compulsory labour force (relève), 55, 66, 137; surrender, 155

  Gestapo, 4, 72, 143, 158, 197; headquarters, Toulouse, 63

  Gohan, Bernard, 81, 82, 83, 86, 87, 89, 163

  ‘Gonzales, Count’, 15–16, 20, 21–2

  Groome, Tom, 62–3, 83, 159

  Hampson, Kathleen, 160–61

  Hector (SOE agent), 114, 115, 116, 121, 173

  Hitler, Adolph, 3, 4, 16, 170–71; panzer divisions, 39

  Hodges, Bob (Sir Lewis), 46–7, 99

  ‘Holy Marys’ (Camargue), 18–19

  ‘Hubert’ (British army officer), 110, 113, 114, 115, 116, 119, 123, 136, 139, 141; mentioned, 143, 144, 151, 155, 157; evacuation of Vichy, 153; in London, 161–2

  Issoudon, 133, 134

  Jean (Spanish guide), 84–8

  Jepson, Selwyn, 105

  Jews, 3, 4, 41, 49, 51, 193

  Juan les Pins, 25, 26

  Kenny, Micheline see Digard, Micheline

  Kenny, Patrick, 199; see also Digard, Micheline

  Konig, General, 128

  Korean War, 177, 178

  Langley, Captain James, 98

  Laurent (Maquis leader), 115, 116, 131, 144, 154

  Laval, Pierre, 55, 75

  Laycock, Sir Robert, 57, 103

  Les- Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, 18, 19, 20

  Lieutades, 198

  London, 1, 17, 30, 101, 107, 113, 125, 136, 152

  Los Angeles, 182, 184

  Lourdes, 11, 12

  Mackenzie, Sir Robert, 169, 170

  Maginot Line, 39

  Malta, 181

  Manual of Combat Survival, 179, 180, 188

  Maquis, Maquisards, 55, 114–55; Americans join, 138, 146; battle at Mont Mouchet, 123–4, 127, 128; groups attacked by Germans, 144; losses, 130; Spanish group, 145, 146; see also Alsop, John; Auvergne, the; Bazooka; Clermont–Ferrand; Gaspard, Colonel; Schley, Reve; Wake, Nancy

  Marseille, 6–8, 26, 31, 32, 33, 35–6, 71; Fort Saint-Jean, 45, 48, 197; Fort Saint-Nicholas, 53, 56, 197; Hotel du Louvre et Paix, 7, 9, 28, 31, 45, 53, 154; post-war, 197; Vieux Port, 7, 197; see also Wake, Nancy; World War II

  Marshall, Ian, 169

  Martinez, Hotel, Cannes, 35

  Mason, James, 187

  Mauzac, 53, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63

  Merode, Prince de, 80

  Mers-el-Kebir, 41

  Milice, 40, 71, 76, 132, 143, 146, 147, 193

  Montluçon, 114, 121, 122, 133, 135, 148, 149, 150, 151, 198; evacuation by Germans, 153

  Mont-Mouchet, 120, 121; attacked by Germans, 123; Resistance monument, 198

  Mountbatten, Lord Louis, 103

  Nazis, 3, 4, 143, 177, 193, 195

  Negre, Gaston, 77, 79

  Nice, 54, 82–3, 196–7

  Occupation of France, 39, 42–3

  Occupied Zone, 38, 102

  O’Leary, Patrick, 48, 50, 53, 56, 57, 59, 62, 63, 73, 74–6, 160; arrest, 82, 121; reports on ‘Albert’, 179; sent to Dachau, 81; travels with Nancy, 78–80; visited by Nancy in Paris, 159

  parachute drops, 77, 124, 127, 136, 138, 146, 152, 198

  Paris, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 18, 29; liberated, 152–3, 155; see also Wake, Nancy

  Passport Control Office, Paris, 169

  Passy, Colonel, 102

  Pearl Harbor, 53

  Perpignan, 73, 78, 79, 82, 83

  Pétain, Marshall, 38, 40, 42, 52, 192

  Peuleve, Harry, 162

  Picon, 5, 6, 31, 49, 58, 73, 83, 154, 170, 186

  Pilar (Spanish guide), 84–8

  Prague, 170–73, 179

  Puy-de-Dome, 115, 133, 144

  Pyrenees, 39, 73, 76, 83, 84, 95; see also O’Leary, Patrick; Wake, Nancy

  Rake, Denis (‘Denden’), 104, 117, 118, 119, 123, 125, 127, 128, 130, 133, 136, 139, 140, 141, 144, 146, 148, 155, 1
57, 162, 163, 175; posted to British Embassy, Paris, 169

  Rapley (British Vice-Consul, Gerona), 88

  Ravensbruck, 111

  Red Cross, 57, 178

  refugees, 12, 38; see also German migration to Paris

  relève: see Germans, compulsory labor force

  Renard, Madame, 121–2, 152, 153

  Resistance Movement, 37, 40, 43, 44, 47, 51, 57, 65, 72, 73, 191; German attitude, 121; major role in liberation, 195; see also Busch, Commander; Dowding, Bruce; Maquis; Milice; Special Operations Executive

  Reynaud, Paul, 38

  Roger (Marine wireless operator), 137, 139, 145, 147

  Roger the Légionnaire (French agent of Gestapo), 81, 83, 121

  Rommel, Frau, 180

  Sablon, Jean, 10

  Sainson, Madame, 82, 83, 84, 196–7, 198–9

  Saint-Amand, 133

  Saint-Hilaire, 149

  Saint-Martial, 124, 128, 197

  Saint-Santin, 129, 130, 131, 132, 135, 136, 199

  Saint-Tropez, 29

  Schley, Reeve, 138–42, 147, 150, 151, 183

  Scotland, 98, 103–5

  Service d’ordre de la Légion, 40

  SOE see Special Operations Executive

  Spain/Spaniards, 11, 16, 153; see also Maquis, the

  Spanish Civil War, 17, 21, 26, 28, 143, 145

  Special Operations Executive (SOE), vii, 103, 104, 116, 134, 151, 157, 162, 173

  Stavisky scandals (1933), 27

  Stephanie, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 29, 51–2, 199; attempted suicide, 21; family in Yugoslavia, 13–15; post-war, 155; see also ‘Gonzales, Count’

  Stump, Al, 186

  Szabo, Violette, 111

  Sydney, 1, 175, 199

  Tarbes, 11, 12, 15, 16

  Tardivat, Henri, 136, 137, 141, 145, 146, 148, 149, 163, 198, 199; joins Army after Liberation, 155; leg amputated, 173

  torture, 142, 143, 158, 177, 178–9

  Toulon, 49, 62, 69

  Toulouse, 73, 77, 80

  Treacy, Paddy, 74

  Tronçais, Fôret de, 141

  Truyère River, 129, 197

  United Nations Prisoner of War Reports, 177

  Unoccupied Zone, 63; Germans enter, 61

  Vellat, Dr Pierre, 154, 155

  Veterans Legion, France, 40

  Vichy, 144, 153; monument to war dead, 199; police, 72, 75

  Vichy Government, 48, 192

  Vienna, 4, 5, 12

  Wake, Nancy: leaves Australia, 1; life in Paris, 1930s, 3–5, 6, 10–11, 12, 15–16; 20–22; 26–8, 29–30; visits Vienna, 4, 5, 12; visits Yugoslavia, 13–15; marries Henri Fiocca, 31–3; life in Marseille, 35–6, 52; chalet in Nevache, 52, 54, 58; drives ambulance, 38; travels as courier for Resistance, 49, 51, 60, 63, 64–6; as ‘White Mouse’, 63, 68–9, 72; escapes from France to London: arrest in Toulouse, 11, 73–4; crosses Pyrenees, 76–85; in Spain, 85–93; voyage from Gibraltar, 93–7; arrives in London, 98; trains for SOE, 103–13; parachutes into France, vi, 114; works with Maquis as SOE agent, 114–55; code names, 87, 113, 128; death of Henri Fiocca, 154, 155, 158, 199; tours France with Col. Buckmaster, 157–8; returns to Paris for victory celebrations, 162–3; in Victory Parade, London, 164; at British Embassy, Paris, 169; posted to Prague, 170–73; returns to Sydney post-war, 175; joins Liberal Party of NSW, 175–6; contests Federal seat of Barton, 175–6; returns to England (1951), 176; works at Air Ministry, London, 176–81; granted Indulgence Pass, RAF, 179; joins WRAF, 181; marriage to John Forward, 181; publication of Russell Braddon book, 181; lives in Malta, 181; experiences of filmmakers, 183–90; returns to Auvergne (1980), 190; returns to scenes of wartime France (1984), 197, 200

  Walker, Captain, 109, 110

  war cemeteries, Libya, Tobruk, 180

  Wood, Moya, 196, 197, 199

  Wellington, New Zealand, 1, 32

  Weygand, General, 39

  ‘White Mouse’ see Wake, Nancy

  Wilkins, Leslie (Wilkie), 46, 99

  World War II, 30, 31, 35, 180; British attack on French fleet, 40–41; collapse of French army, 38; German Occupation, France, 39; see also Dunkirk

  ‘Xavier’ see Busch, Commander

  Ygrande, 136, 137, 138

  R.M. Williams with Olaf Ruhen

  Beneath Whose Hand

  He left home in his teens and went bush. For months he trekked through the desert and ranges of Central Australia as the camel-man of a two-man expedition. He then worked as a drover.

  The sale of a handmade pack-saddle to Sir Sidney Kidman for five pounds was the beginning of a business which grew rapidly. Soon bushmen from all over Australia were sending ‘cash with order’ for R.M.’s elastic-sided boots and other products. The mail-order business made him wealthy and positioned him as a household name throughout the bush.

  Always restless and enterprising, R.M. has never been content just to be a businessman. The bush is his greatest love, and throughout his life he has remained as close to it as possible, droving, running cattle-stations, and breeding and training horses. From gold-mining in the Northern Territory, to tea-planting in the New Guinea Highlands, publishing poetry and establishing the Stockman’s Hall of Fame, R.M. Williams has earned his place as a hero of the Australian bush.

  R.M. WILLIAMS, bushman, grazier, businessman, folk hero, raconteur – in fact one of the great legends of our time. This is his story.

  ‘. . . a great Australian in a manner all his own . . . I cannot begin to describe the fascination of this book. It is different. Biographies of Australians who have made their marks . . . proliferate. Not one of them I have read paints a picture of a man so vital, of so many parts, as R.M. Williams.’

  COURIER MAIL

  Sara Henderson

  From Strength to Strength

  Sara Henderson’s bestselling autobiography has touched the hearts of thousands of people all over Australia. As tough, spirited, warm and funny as the woman herself, From Strength to Strength is the inspirational story of one woman’s extraordinary courage and determination.

  In 1959 Sara met American war hero and shipping magnate, Charles Henderson III, and so began what she calls the world’s most demanding, humiliating and challenging obstacle course any human could be expected to endure.

  Three years after their marriage, Charles presented Sara with her new home – a tin shack in a million acres of red dust. Bullo River. After twenty years of back-breaking work on this remote Northern Australian cattle station, Charlie’s death revealed that Sara had not only been left with a floundering property, but also with a heart-breaking mountain of debt.

  With very little to lose, Sara and her daughters Marlee and Danielle, took up the challenge of rebuilding Bullo River . . . with such tremendous results that in 1991 Sara was named the Bulletin/Qantas Businesswoman of the Year.

  ‘Everyone has a book in them, they say, but not everyone has the kind of story Sara Henderson tells, and tells well.’

  THE BULLETIN

  Janine Shepherd

  Never Tell Me Never

  ‘Nurse, let’s get moving. What’s her current status?’

  ‘I can’t find a pulse . . . Hang on. I’ll see what her blood pressure is . . . No luck, I still can’t find it!’

  ‘Come on, let me try. It’s dropped, it’s 40 over nothing! We’ve got to get her out of here. Phone Intensive Care and tell them we’ve got a hot one!’

  On an afternoon bike ride in the Blue Mountains Janine Shepherd’s life was altered irrevocably. When the champion cross-country skier in training for the Winter Olympics was hit by a truck, doctors warned her parents that she was not expected to survive her ordeal. The bleeding alone was enough to kill her. Even if by some small chance she recovered, she would never walk again.

  Coming to terms with her shattered Olympic dreams, refusing to believe what expert medical staff were telling her about her chances of any kind of recovery, Janine focused every sinew of her being on healing her broken body and crushed morale.

  Her fighting spi
rit was rekindled watching small planes flying overhead. She said to herself, ‘If I can’t walk, I’ll fly’. And fly she did. Within a year she had her private pilot’s licence; twelve months later, her commercial licence; then her instructor’s permit. Never Tell Me Never is her story, a testament to the power of the human spirit, and one that will move and inspire all who read it.

  ‘The ultimate in dedication, achievement, determination, accomplishment . . . A celebration of life.’

  SARA HENDERSON

 

 

 


‹ Prev