by Tania Szabô
McCue, Paul, SAS Operation Bulbasket, Jedburghs; Pen & Sword
McLaughlin, Roy, Living with the Enemy; Channel Island Publishing
Mière, Joe, Never to be Forgotten; Channel Island Publishing
Miguel, Pierre, La Seconde Guerre Mondiale; Fayard
Millar, Georges, Maquis; Cassell
Minney, R.J., Carve her Name with Pride; Newnes
National Archives, Personal file of Vera Atkins
National Archives, Personal file of Isidore Newman
National Archives, Personal file of Harry Peulevé
National Archives, Personal file of Violette Szabó
Nicault, Maurice, Résistance et Libération de l’Indre; Royer
Noguères, Henri,Histoire de la Résistance en France, Tomes 1-VI; Robert Laffont
Overton Fuller, Jean, The German Penetration of SOE; George Mann
Ousby, Ian, Occupation, the Ordeal of France; Pimlico
Pailhès, G., Rouen et sa région pendant la guerre; Editions Bertout
Patrimoine Rouen Rouen Sous L’Occupation
Perrault, Gilles, La longue Traque; Jean-Claude Lattes
Place, Pascal, Visage de la Résistance; Éditions Lucien Souny.
Pognant, Patrick, In Memoriam de Albert Pognant
Poirier, Jacques, La girafe a un long cou; Edition du Félin
Rémy, Colonel, La Résistance en Aquitaine; Edition Famot
Rigden, Denis Introduction by, SOE Syllabus; Dundurn Group
Ringlesbach, Dorothy, OSS: Stories that can now be told; Authorhouse
Ruby, Marcel, F Section SOE; Leo Cooper
Ruffin, Raymond, La résistance normande face à la Gestapo; Edition Bertout
Saidel, Rachel G., The Jewish Women of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp; University of Wisconsin Press
Schoenbrun, David, Soldiers of the Night; Robert Hale
Stafford, David, Secret Agent, Britain’s Wartime Secret Service; BBC
Stevenson, William, A Man called Intrepid; Macmillan
Stevenson, William, Spymistress; Arcade
Veillon, Dominique, Vivre et survivre en France; Histoire Payot
Verity, Hugh, We Landed by Moonlight; Air Data Publications
Vickers, Philip, La Division Das Reich; Lucien Souny
Ward, Dame Irene, FANY Invicta; Hutchinson
Weidinger, Otto, Das Reich III; J JFedorowicz
West, Nigel, MI5 1945–1972, A Matter of Trust; Coronet
Wilkinson, Peter and Bright Astley, Joan, Gubbins & SOE; Leo Cooper
The author also wishes to express her indebtedness to the items of private correspondence from the Bushell and Lucas families, and the Leroy family (through Madame Rolande Peletier in Pont Rémy) which has enabled her to source or verify many of the details in this book. Much other information came from public and privately owned archives, correspondence and museums in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, France and Europe generally.
Plates
Violette Szabó as a child of just nine. Reine Bushell, Violette’s mother, my grandmother, fashioned this coat for Violette with fox fur collar while Violette still lived in France. Author’s archives
Violette aged about eleven and her English life-long best friend, Vera Maidment; at Mill Hill, London, UK. Author’s archives
The photo Violette gave to Manny Isbey. On the back were the words ‘With all my love, Violette’. Courtesy of Polly Isbey, Manny’s sister, New Zealand. Author’s archives
Violette aged sixteen with her brother aged seventeen at the Staff Ball of the Savoy Hotel in 1937. Author’s archives
Harry Peulevé looking weary, knowing and stubborn. He loved Violette. Author’s archives
Winterfold House, north of Cranleigh, Surrey taken in 2015. Violette would have stayed at the top of the house with views towards Cranleigh and Dunsfold. Mark Yeats
Notice Violette is mentally translating from French to English, hence her French phraseology. Written to Vera, her best friend, while staying with her French Tante Marguerite and French grandparents. A teenager loving every minute. Author’s archives
Honeymoon photo in August 1940 in our garden at 18 Burnley Road, Stockwell, SW8. Author’s archives
Violette and Étienne marry at Aldershot Registry Office on 20 August 1940. l/r: unknown, Charles Bushell, unknown, Reine Bushell, Roy Bushell, Étienne and Violette, unknown, Georgian Prince Lieutenant Dimitri Amilakhvari, Colonel Kiss. Author’s archives
A glamorous couple. Author’s archives
Hazells Hall nr Tempsford; club where agents and pilots relaxed and slept over. Good food, fine wines/spirits and congenial if tense company. Since the war it has been converted into magnificent luxury flats. Great, as the Pym family told the author they were considering demolishing it. Courtesy of Sandy archives
At the Szabó Room in the Jersey War Tunnels a Sten gun with two cartridges and parachute silk – just like Violette would have used. Author’s archives
One of Violette’s false identity cards. She knew the area and went to school for a time at Noyelles-sur-Mer. PF at National Archives and in author’s archives
Jedburgh Fenster log of the Stationer Flight dropping Violette and team over Sussac in the Haute-Vienne. Courtesy of the historian and dear friend, the late Tom Ensminger
Flight Lieutenant Robert ‘Bob’ Large, DFC, LdH; Lysander pilot who safely flew Violette back to England from Le Fay in France while under enemy attack. Courtesy of Bob Large
The painting is Loire Rendezvous by Philip E. West. Courtesy of SWA Fine Arts
Tania Szabó and Bob Large, ten miles from where the latter was shot down in his Spitfire, pictured in 2014. Mark Yeats
Rouen devastated by German aerial bombing in 1940 and 1941 that Violette would have seen. Author’s archives
André Malraux smoking, south of France, as Colonel Berger. Author’s archives
Colonel Guingouin knew how to win friendship of the Limousin country folk. Everyone knew and respected him. He wrote of Violette’s courage and activities in his autobiographical book Quatre ans de lute sur le sol Limousin – Four years of struggle on Limousin soil – and to me when visiting with Paul Emile. Author’s archives
Philippe Liewer aka Major Charles Staunton. A French journalist, founder and leader of the Salesman and Salesman II circuits as well as being Violette’s commanding officer. Author’s archives
Gestapo poster plastered all over Rouen in 1944 preventing Philippe Liewer returning. l/r: Philippe Liewer; Bob Maloubier. Author’s archives
Huguette Dehors, a retired teacher, as a young woman a year or two after her ordeal in Limoges prison where she shared a cell with Violette. Courtesy of Huguette Dehors
Captain Isidore Newman (Pierre), Philippe’s trusted wireless operator. Courtesy of Martin Sugarman and JSTOR
Albert Tisserand explains to Paul-Emile Holley exactly what he saw as a youngster of fourteen. He hid in the grange behind them. Taken by the author in 2003
The iron fence was where the German advance guard took up position and were shooting at Violette who, alone in the field to the left of the fence, was returning fire with her Sten gun. Taken by the author in 2003
The SS officer brought Violette, arrested, in his armoured car on June 10 1944 over the bridge to the house where Jacques Dufour (Anastasie) was hiding under logs to the right of the bridge opposite the house. Taken by the author in September 2003
SS-Obersturmbannführer Fritz Sühren, commandant of Ravensbrück, executed by the French in 1950. Courtesy of Georg Schwab
SS-Obersturmführer (1944) Johann Schwarzhüber. 12 January 1945 he was the Schutzhaftlagerführer of Ravensbrück concentration camp. He was directly responsible for executions and gassing of some 2,350 prisoners. Courtesy of Georg Schwab
The Walzroller was often to be pushed in the heat of summer or depth of north German winter until death. Courtesy Ravensbrück Archives
‘Shooting gallery’ in Ravensbrück concentration camp which led to a sm
all execution yard, destroyed when the camp was liberated by the Russians in April 1945. Taken by the author in 1995
These cremation ovens show the long poles on which the women’s dead bodies were placed before being pushed into the ovens. Anon.
From Violette’s personal file indicating her courage and gallantry as she saved Jacques Dufour’s life and shot dead at least one German private and wounding a number of others. Author’s archives
A report in Violette’s personal file with instructors’ concerns – they clearly were unable to read this young woman! Author’s archives
Letter from solicitors Radcliffe’s & Co to the Under Secretary of State on 3 June 1946. There was considerable communications trying to establish a death certificate. Author’s archives
The writer of this document appears to me to be arrogant or lazy and thus unable to do a thorough investigation. Author’s archives
Copy of Violette’s last Will and Testament witnessed by R.A. Bourne-Paterson and V.M. Atkins. Author’s archives
Violette’s parachute badge which changed her father’s views of her character. Author’s collection
Violette’s Croix de Guerre with Star. In Spinks cabinet with Violette’s and Étienne’s highest awards from their respective countries. This cabinet arranged for by Sotheby’s in London. Author’s collection
Violette’s George Cross and scroll presented to the author as a child of four and a half in 1946. Author’s archives
Some medals of Adj.-chef (13e DBLE) Étienne Szabó, Legionnaire. The Légion d’honneur, Military, Médaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre with Star and Palme, Médaille Coloniale. The Croix de Guerre is missing its two ‘bars’. There were many other ribbons, too. These are in the same cabinet with photos of both Violette and Étienne. In The Guinness Book of Records they were named as the married couple with the highest awards awarded to them by their respective countries. Étienne is considered one of the Legion’s heroes down in Aubagne, the Legion home. Author’s collection
Not long after receiving the Croix de Guerre from the French Ambassador at a Gala evening at the embassy, Tania is wearing her mother’s medals and her father’s ribbons. All too heavy for her size and clothes so her grandmother made her a harness which embarrassed Tania very much! Author’s archives
The Commonwealth War Graves at Brookwood Memorial is beautifully designed and cared for. Often at Panel 26 (the day of Violette’s birthday), next to her name, is a violet or a red poppy. Author’s archives
In Morlaix, Finistère, Tania wearing Étienne’s gift of a gold bracelet to Violette, later stolen, standing next to Mme Marie Lecomte, Breton resistance fighter wearing her Légion d’Honneur, Médaille Militaire, Croix de Guerre and one other. Marie was a huge source of strength and comfort to Violette in Fresnes prison, Paris, Ravensbrück concentration camp and the sub-camp in Königsberg. She wrote several letters to the author and her grandparents before they met in 1963. Author’s archives
L/r: Charles and Reine Bushell, Violette’s parents and the author’s grandparents; Mme Marie Lecomte wearing the most precious gift Tania could give her, a gift from her guardian, Charles van Bergen. Tania wished to show in some concrete form how grateful she is to Marie for looking after Violette as best she could in those dreadful days. Marie survived but a skeleton of five stones and was very ill for many years. Author’s archives
Marching with bands, steel band, many people, military groups with banners and the people of Brixton and Stockwell coming out of their homes or just cheering a few days after Brixton riots in June 1981. We were marching from Brixton Town Hall (where a plaque commemorates Violette) to 18 Burnley Road where the author and Mayor ‘Johnny’ Johnson unveiled a Blue Plaque on the house where Violette and Tania lived. Author’s archives
This plaque is on the plinth topped by a sculpture of Violette by Karen Newman. The statue is before Lambeth Palace on the embankment looking directly at the Houses of Parliament!! Author’s archives
This plaque is on the Wall of Nations at Ravensbrück concentration camp and it is interesting to note that it also commemorates those who survived. Lest we forget! Taken by the author
This plaque is on a monument at the crossroads just outside Sussac and very close to where Violette parachuted in with her team on the night of 7/8 June 1944. Taken by the author
The unveiling of the stele in hommage to Violette on the 50th anniversary of Pont-Rémy’s liberation by the Canadians. L/r: Paul E.F. Holley; Tania Szabó; Madame le Maire; Roy Bushell, Violette’s brother who spent his young years growing up and being educated in France at the same time as Violette. Author’s archives, photo by Aimé Peltier
l/r: Jean-Claude Guiet, SOE w/o, Tania, Bob Maloubier, SOE agent and his partner at the opening of the Violette Szabó GC Museum in Wormelow, Herefordshire. Each year on the Sunday closest to 26 June, Rosemary Rigby arranges for a picnic to celebrate Violette’s life here, where as a young girl and woman she spent many happy years with her aunt, uncle and cousins. Author’s archives, photo by Steve Harwood
The monument before Lambeth Palace with Violette looking towards the Houses of Parliament! Author’s archives
Memorial stone in glacial granite. Unveiled at Winterfold in 2011 by Professor M.R.D. Foot – the official SOE historian. Mark Yeats
Tania, Mark Yeats and Virginia McKenna outside Winterfold House in 2013. Mark Yeats
Ex-French Resistance Mme Louisette Tanter, Odette Sanson GC, Virginia McKenna, whose starring role as Violette in Carve her Name with Pride still moves all who see that 1958 film. Virginia McKenna archives
All above: Stills from Carve Her Name With Pride. © ITV/REX
What it was all for: preparing the barricades for the liberation of Paris, 23 August 1944. Patrimoine Paris
Copyright
First published in 2015
The History Press
The Mill, Brimscombe Port
Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG
www.thehistorypress.co.uk
This ebook edition first published in 2015
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© Tania Szabó, 2015
The right of Tania Szabó to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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