Lilian Vera Rolfe - members of the RAF, the SOE and French Resistance

(1914-1945)


Born on 26 April 1914 in Paris as one of the twins. Her father was an Englishman who worked in Paris as an accountant for a British company. Although Lillian grew up in Paris and often visited his grandparents near London. When she was sixteen, she sent her father's company in Brazil and so the family moved again. In Brazil, Lilian finished school and began working at the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro.

At the beginning of the war, traveled to London, where in 1943 he joined the Air Force Auxiliary Corps - WAAF . For a perfect French was assigned to Special Operations Command - the SOE which were trained as a spy-radiotelegrafistka. 5th April 1944 Lilian Rolfe was planted in France, near Orleans, where he operated the Maquis resistance group. It followed with links to London and transmit important information to prepare the Allied invasion in France. Along with members of the local resistance fighters participated in many sabotage actions against the occupying forces and arms helped defuse the German city of Olivet in the south of Orleans.

After the invasion of Normandy, the Allies intensified by the Gestapo and the hunt for the resistance group commander fell, which was also a member of Lillian. She nevertheless continued their dangerous work until 31 July 1944, when the Gestapo came for her to Nargis. She was imprisoned in Fresnes - Paris Gestapo's examination and subjected to interrogation and torture. Revealed nothing about his mission, nor the other members of the resistance group in August 1944 was sent to a concentration camp Ravensbrück . 5th February 1945 was executed along with Denise Bloch, Cecily temper and Violetta Szabo .

In the English city of Surrey is now a memorial. The French government posthumously awarded her the Croix de Guerre and in Montargis, where he fought during the war, bears the name of the street. In the city of memorials VALENÇAY SOE heroines who gave their lives for freedom in France is the name of the Roll of Honour.

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