Sometimes I get sick of writing about all the fakes and phonies and idiots who 'ponce their hour upon the stage' of public life (see three previous posts!) At such moments I sometimes find solace in the obituary columns of the newspapers where I read of brave men and women who suffered selflessly in a great cause. A typical example can be found in today's Telegraph - the obituary of an old lady who ended her days living a reclusive, lonely life in a small flat in Torquay. Her neighbours had noticed from her mail that she was a recipient of an MBE but no-one knew for certain the reason for the award. Her name was Eileen Nearne:
She was of Anglo-Spanish stock and having spent her early life in France before the war she was fluent in French which made her a prize target for recruitment into S.O.E. She was parachuted into France as a radio operator and proved to be very succesful even as the Germans gradually increased their ability to pinpoint the location of illicit radio transmissions. However, eventually she was caught and tortured by the Gestapo, including what we now call 'water-boarding'. Despite their 'best' efforts, she never broke! When they finished with her having learned nothing she was despatched to Ravensbruck concentration camp where she still maintained her cover story. Eventually, as the inmates were moved to avoid the Russian advance she made her escape and was hidden in a German Catholic church by a priest until rescued by American troops.
After the war she lived with her sister, also an operational member of S.O.E., who in effect nursed her back to normality after her traumatic experiences. She never spoke to neighbours of her wartime exploits and after the death of her last remaining relatives she lived quietly and alone.
I don't wish to sound soppy and sentimental, the sort of thing I suspect Miss Nearne would have sniffed at, but her story almost moves me to tears and, metaphorically, I doff my hat in salutation of a very brave lady of true worth.
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