Odette Sansom Hallowes (1912 - 1995) was born in Amiens, France, to a bank manager who left his job when World War I broke out to join an infantry regiment on the Western Front. World War Two's most highly decorated female spy has had a train named after her by Great Western Railway. Sansom continued to claim that she was related to Winston 4659. "Life wisdom learnt in the darkness of a torture cell; Odette Hallowes, GC.," in London Sunday Times. Shren was hoping to save himself from execution as a war criminal after Germany's defeat. Agents memorized codes in verse. [CDATA[ Her wartime experiences and endurance of a brutal interrogation and imprisonment, which were chronicled in books and a motion picture, made her one of the most celebrated members of the SOE and one of the few to survive Nazi imprisonment. According to the Geneva Convention, women were not allowed to engage in physical combat, but she wanted desperately to fight the Nazis and decided to volunteer for the war effort in any way she could. Of all the women who took part in special operations in France, Odette as she was universally known in spite of having borne three married surnames in her lifetime perhaps best symbolized the indomitable spirit of resistance to Nazism. The following month, after American and British troops landed in French North Africa, the Germans were prompted to enter the unoccupied zone, at which point the Mediterranean coast took on new significance for the SOE. She was captured by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp, but survived the war. She was the first woman to be awarded the George Cross by the United Kingdom and was awarded the Lgion d'honneur by France. Britain's most prestigious organizations turned out forged papers for them to carry. When they told her she was to be executed, listing her many crimes against the Nazi Third Reich, she told them to take their pick of offenses, because they could only kill her once. Prime commercial lot on Rt. 47, Commercial Retail Lots - Minooka, IL- Reduced PriceCheck out a new aerial video of the property! London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1980. //. Weapons and ammunition Walther PPK He was held as a Prisoner of War in 165 POW Camp near Abbeville and succeeded in escaping four times, although he was never able to return to the German lines. [35], She served as a technical advisor on a film on her fellow SOE agent Violette Szabo, Carve Her Name with Pride. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Born 26 Feb 1881 in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, died 14 Oct 1918 from wounds received on 26 September at the battle of Mesnil. tortured by the Gestapo she had all her toenails pulled out. Britain and European Resistance, 194045: A survey of the Special Operations Executive with Documents, 1980. Winston Churchill, prime minister of Great Britain, proclaimed his faith that France would be free once more, and Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French in London, encouraged his nation to fight back. Your email address will not be published. In his book Odette: The Story of a British Agent (1949), Jerrard Tickell credits Sansom's survival to "the unassailable dignity in which she enclosed herself." Odette Sansom GC, MBE (28 April 1912 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the Second World War. Here, she was placed in the concentration camps underground prison, appropriately named the Bunker.. Her father was a soldier in the French Army and was killed during Occasionally, during their imprisonment, Sansom and Churchill managed to meet and talk secretly before he was moved to Germany in February 1944. SOE agents allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. Still Odette refused to speak. Despite a report by the camp doctor that she would not survive such conditions for more than a few weeks, after being found unconscious in her cell she was placed in solitary confinement. Letting Odette Sansom face the window as they tortured her . [14][15][16], At Fresnes prison, near Paris, Sansom was interrogated by the Gestapo fourteen times. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. importer. Save five minutes a day when the overhead light was illuminated, she sat in total darkness. Instead, after the war, she worked for various charities seeking to lessen the pain of war. She was then transported to Halle, where she was again treated brutally. The medal was awarded after medical records and eyewitness testimony supported her case. Odette Sansom had been a prisoner of the Gestapo for five months by October 1943. A glamorous spy, capture, imprisonment, horrific torture, dramatic escape, breathless romance. In 1942,Odette Sansomwas invited to join 'F' Section of theSpecial Operations Executive(SOE). [17][18] The British had calculated that if the Germans thought she was related to the British Prime Minister they would want to keep her alive as a possible bargaining tool. I won't let them have me." Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/sansom-odette-1912-1995. U.S. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The biography of Odette Sansom Churchill (1912-1995) is absolutely amazing. On May 26, 1943, Sansom was taken to the headquarters of the German security service. Sansom, an elegant, vivacious young Frenchwoman who had been living in England, detested the Nazi system, the police state, and Hitler. Perles, Alfred, ed. Odette Sansom at the FANY memorial at St. Paul's Church in Knightsbridge, London, in 1948. She was awarded not only an Order of the British Empire (Member), but also a Chevalier de la Lgion dHonneur, Frances highest decoration; a George Cross, Britains second highest honor; and five other medals. She spent the rest of the war imprisoned in Ravensbrck Concentration Camp. Odette's medals can be seen today in her special display at the Imperial War Museum. . Odette Sansom Hallowes died on March 13, 1995 at the age of What is a good mission statement for a salon? The Germans wanted to know the true identity of Spindle's wireless operator, "Arnaud," as well as the whereabouts of a British officer, Captain Francis Cammaerts, who had landed in the plane which had taken Churchill to England. Starved and tortured, Odette never broke. Violette Szabo has no known grave. A year later, they were married, and their first daughter Franoise was born in 1932. to London where she gave birth to three children. Women were employed by SOE for field work, generally as couriers, and frequently as wireless operators. 47 frontage. Buckmaster allowed her training to continue regardless. By July 1940, these activities were brought under the control of a central organization, called the Special Operations Executive (SOE), also known as "the Firm" and "the Racket." But in the years that followed, her undiminished mental and moral energy, combined with a complete absence of bitterness towards her tormentors and the nation that had spawned them, became a beacon to others who had suffered disfigurement, pain or bereavement. After he landed by parachute in a remote mountainous area, Churchill and Sansom hid in an inn in St. Jorioz. The purpose of these photos was to determine the exact topography of a particular section. "British Heroine Honored, Aided French Resistance Despite Gestapo Tortures," in The New York Times. On 16 April 1943, 'Lise' and 'Raoul' were betrayed by a member of their network and arrested. The couple had three daughters: Franoise Edith, born 1932 in Boulogne; Lily Marie, born 1934 in Fulham; and Marianne Odette, born 1936 in Fulham. Fifteen of them were captured by the Nazis. Sansom wassent to Ravensbrck concentration camp, Germany, in July 1944. This would mean securing an apartment in a specified part of town in France to which the SOE might send other members, either as part of an escape team or to encourage sabotage and action by the French Resistance. Odette Sansom Hallowes was born on April 28, 1912 and died on March 13, 1995. The couple moved Szabo was shot at Ravensbrck; Khan was brutally interrogated and kept in chains before she was executed at Dachau. She is buried with Odette at Burvale cemetery where her name is given as Yvonne Marie Rose Brailly. Her back was scorched with a red-hot poker and all of her toenails were pulled out. from the east, she persuaded Fritz Suhren, the camp commandant, to the life story of Odette Sansom reads like the film script it later became. Sansom was trained to serve as a courier and a circuit organizer. Hero of the French Resistance, known only as Odette, who worked for the British War Department during World War II and, when captured and tortured by the Nazis, refused to divulge classified information. SOE circuits were comprised of three agents: circuit leader, courier and radio operator. Born Odette Marie Cline Brailly on April 28, 1912, in France; died in 1995 in England; daughter of Yvonne Brailly and Gaston Brailly (a bank official and soldier); married Roy Sansom, in 1930; married Captain Peter Morland Churchill, in 1947; married Geoffrey Hallowes; children: (first marriage) Franoise (b. Held by the Gestapo. [22] Sansom removed Suhren's pistol, which is now held in the Imperial War Museum.[23]. Odette, who by that time had married her third husband and become Odette Hallowes, died in 1995 at the age of 82. While Peter followed SOE training and played the village idiot, denying everything other than being a British agent, Odette did the opposite: she told the Germans that she, not Peter, was the circuit leader, and that Peter was just a pawn in their operation. In 1946 Sansom was awarded the George Cross for bravery and the They killed anyone they feared might testify. She had already made three unsuccessful attempts to get to France. Violette Szabo has no known grave. In fact, Peter Churchill was not related to the British prime minister. Despite, Odettes suspicions, his involvement led to her arrest. One secret policeman, sergeant Hugo Bleicher, did just that. And as every spy knew, the Gestapo needed to turn only one operative to infiltrate a circuit and spoil the lot. Your email address will not be published. She wore her FANY uniform and the blue ribbon and silver miniature of the George Cross. (SOE). She died in 1995 aged 83. Odette Sansom died in 1995. It was there, the next night, that they were arrested by Italian troops and a German security agent. Though not a British national, in February 1941 Atkins joined the French section of the SOE as a secretary. However, her story was not without controversy. They marched long columns of prisoners out of the camp, by the thousand, past the notorious sign Arbeit macht frei (Work makes one free). She had kept silent, but she knew about the other things the Gestapo did to women and, alone in the darkness of the prison, she feared her strength might not last. [11], Meanwhile, in Paris in mid-March, spy-catcher Hugo Bleicher, an Abwehr counterintelligence officer, arrested Marsac, persuading him and another Carte associate, Roger Bardet, that he was an anti-Nazi German colonel and that they should work together. In July 1942, Sansom began her training at the SOE school, a country house hidden in New Forest, Hampshire. The son of Lillie ne Parkington and Abbey Sansom of Colchester. When she was eight, an unidentified disorder caused her to go blind for. Odette Sansom GC, MBE (28 April 1912 - 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom 's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the Second World War. Germany. "Now would you care to tell me Arnaud's address?," the interrogator asked. Her code name was "Lise". Where is Violette Szabo buried? The company . As she fell forward, the interrogator asked, "Where is Arnaud?" ." [3][4] Sansom, posing as "Madame Odette Metayer", was required to find food and lodging for Rabinovitch, who was in France illegally and had no ration card, and also to tend to air drops that were sometimes carelessly placed in dangerous areas. We use cookies on our website to collect relevant data to enhance your visit. 1 lot left! Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Odette Name Origin: German. At first, Odette's instructors . Her humility meant she was not keen on accepting the award, but she did accept it on behalf of all agents who suffered during the war. Other The marriage The prince is captivated by her soulful countenance and starts to approach her, but she becomes frightened and turns from him. Odette Her Remarkable True Storyby Jerrard Tickell at Amazon. Odette Marie Lonie Cline Brailly was born on 28 April 1912 at 208, rue des Corroyers in Amiens, France;[1] the daughter of Emma Rose Marie Yvonne ne Quennehen[notes 1] and Florentin Dsir Eugne 'Gaston' Brailly,[notes 2] a bank manager, killed at Verdun shortly before the Armistice in 1918 and posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and Mdaille militaire for heroism. She was subjected to torture. Prisoners, including three SOE agents, were shot outside Sansom's window, which faced the entrance of the crematorium. Her body was soon covered in scabs, and she suffered from dysentery and scurvy. Mahoney, M.H. Violette Szabo and Noor Inayat Khan were awarded the George Cross posthumously for their bravery. Meanwhile, Sansom was feeling powerless. Gleeson, James Joseph. In December 1946, giving evidence at a war crimes trial in Hamburg, she would describe how she had seen women being driven screaming and struggling to the crematorium doors. Pronunciation: o-dette, od(et)-te. Its agents were mainly tasked with sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines. When she refused to divulge the whereabouts of her spy circuit's wireless operator and another British officer, she not only saved the lives of other agents but enabled them to continue their work for the Resistance. https://youtu.be/P60YDAkrbuw. Roll call (appel) in the camps was held outdoors twice a day, no matter the weatherin summer at 5:30 am, in winter at 4:30 am. Required fields are marked *. On 16th April, 1943, Sansom and Churchill were arrested by Hugo People would cross paths, sometimes in crucial ways, then slip away and never see one another again. On April 28, 1945, on her 33rd birthday, Sansom was released from Ravensbrck weighing less than 90 pounds. Wehrmacht soldiers, Vichy police, Abwehr (German military intelligence) and Gestapo were everywhere: control checkpoints, hotels, cafes, trains even brothels. 1995. where are the children of Odette Sansom now. She was taught self-defence, Morse code, and how to resist interrogation. Odette was a French woman married to an Englishman. By accepting death, she felt that "they would not win anything. Leigh, Diana Rowden, Andre Borrel andSonya Olschanezky, to Nazi "Sansom, Odette (19121995) If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. drive her to the Allied lines in the west. Actress Anna Neagle, who played her in the 1950 British war film Odette , spent one year with the WWII spy and she helped the actress research for the role even going as far as returning to the cells where she . Check here if you would like to receive subscription offers and other promotions via email from TIME group companies. She was also appointed a Chevalier de la Lgion d'honneur for her work with the French Resistance. To be caught with a wireless radiosomething every SOE agent would transport from time to timewas a capital offense. Dec 1, 2022. London: Arco, 1957. For three months and eight days she languished in a small cell, again on starvation rations. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. On 31 October 1942, under her codename, 'Lise', she arrived in Cannes. (February 22, 2023). of the country. It does not store any personal data. Both Churchill and Sansom were therefore retained in Fresne and frequently interrogated for another eight months. This jacket was worn by Odette Sansom during the course of her confinement in Fresnes Prison and Ravensbrck. French-bornOdette Sansomworked undercover in France during theSecond World War. Odette Sansom was born in France but later moved to England. But, eventually, the camp was overrun, and she won her freedom as the Camp commandant tried to use her as a hostage. [6], Originally Sansom was considered too temperamental and stubborn by SOE, with an evaluation stating "She is impulsive and hasty in her judgments and has not quite the clarity of mind which is desirable in subversive activity. The hope was that in this way their treatment would be mitigated. She feared neither danger nor dagger, interrogation nor torture. Yet she was a trained killer. Please make him your prisoner." Before war broke out in September 1939, Britain had established secret agencies to conduct clandestine operations in Europe. Odette Sansom, also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, was born on 28 April 1912 in Amiens, France. Most WWII history buffs are familiar with decorated spies like Dusko Popov, Juan Pujol, and Roman Garby-Czerniawski. [5] She adopted an attitude of defiance, and found that this resulted in a degree of respect by her captors and helped her survive the imprisonment mentally. They'll have a dead body, useless to them. Infuriated, Bleicher sent her to Ravensbrck concentration camp. Odette is a 1950 British war film based on the true story of Special Operations Executive French agent, Odette Sansom, living in England, who was captured by the Germans in 1943, condemned to death and sent to Ravensbrck concentration camp to be executed. 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