World War II British Spy. She was honoured for helping run a clandestine radio network. Born to an English father and a Spanish mother, she was raised in France from around age two. Miss Nearne went to England along with her older brother and sister when France fell to the Nazis and joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY); her linguistic ability, however, made her more valuable in intelligence, and she found herself recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Air-dropped into France on March 2, 1944, she was given the code name Rose and made a part of the Wizard network which relayed messages to London the main purpose of which was to secure financing for the French Resistance. After sending roughly 105 wireless transmissions she was arrested on July 21, 1944, and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Tortured repeatedly, she gave up no secrets, and was transferred to a series of work camps. Eventually escaping from a facility in Silesia, she was hidden by a Catholic priest before being liberated by American troops. After the conflict, she trained as a nurse, but for the most part lived in seclusion and anonymity for the rest of her life. In 1946, Miss Nearne was named Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by King George VI, having previously been awarded the Croix de Guerre by France.
World War II British Spy. She was honoured for helping run a clandestine radio network. Born to an English father and a Spanish mother, she was raised in France from around age two. Miss Nearne went to England along with her older brother and sister when France fell to the Nazis and joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY); her linguistic ability, however, made her more valuable in intelligence, and she found herself recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Air-dropped into France on March 2, 1944, she was given the code name Rose and made a part of the Wizard network which relayed messages to London the main purpose of which was to secure financing for the French Resistance. After sending roughly 105 wireless transmissions she was arrested on July 21, 1944, and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Tortured repeatedly, she gave up no secrets, and was transferred to a series of work camps. Eventually escaping from a facility in Silesia, she was hidden by a Catholic priest before being liberated by American troops. After the conflict, she trained as a nurse, but for the most part lived in seclusion and anonymity for the rest of her life. In 1946, Miss Nearne was named Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by King George VI, having previously been awarded the Croix de Guerre by France.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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Records on Ancestry
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