- Born
- Died
- Birth nameNancy Grace Augusta Wake
- Nickname
- The White Mouse
- Nancy Wake was born in New Zealand but her family moved to Australia when she was 2. She spent her childhood in Sydney and after her studies she traveled to Europe where she worked as a journalist. In 1939 Nancy married French industrialist Henri Fiocca who was killed during the War. Nancy Wake joined the French Resistance with the nickname of "The White Mouse". After having been arrested, she was released but left France for Spain, then England. There, she became a British special agent. On 29th April 1944, Nancy was parachuted into Auvergne (region of France) with the task of helping the resistance to prepare for the armed uprising that was due to coincide with the D-Day landings. She received several medals after the war and worked for the Intelligence Department at the British Air Ministry before coming back to Australia in the 60s after she married John Forward. An English TV movie is based on her story: Nancy Wake (1987).- IMDb Mini Biography By: Raphaël Jullien
- SpousesJohn Forward(1957 - 1997) (his death)Henri Fiocca(1939 - 1943) (his death)
- She was awarded the George Medal on July 17, 1945 for her services to the Allied Troops in Special Operation in France during World War II and the A.C. (Companion of the Order of Australia) on February 22, 2004 for her services to wartime and Australia.
- She is expected to be cremated and her ashes spread in Montlucon in central France, the scene of much of her heroism.
- It was only after the liberation of France that she learned her husband, French businessman Henri Fiocca, had been tortured and killed by the Gestapo for refusing to give her up.
- She was top of the Gestapo's most wanted list.
- She worked for British Special Operations (BSO) and was parachuted into France in April 1944 before D-Day to deliver weapons to French Resistance fighters.
- I have only one thing to say: I killed a lot of Germans, and I am only sorry I didn't kill more.
- [on her wartime exploits] Freedom is the only thing worth living for. While I was doing that work, I used to think it didn't matter if I died, because without freedom there was no point in living.
- [on being a courier for the Allied Soldiers] It was much easier for us, you know, to travel all over France. A woman could get out of a lot of trouble that a man could not.
- [on the Nazis] If ever the opportunity arose, I would do everything I could to stop the Nazi movement. My hatred of the Nazis was very very deep.
- [on women's role during wartime] I don't see why we women should just wave our men a proud goodbye and then knit them balaclavas.
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