Andrée Peel

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Andrée Peel (born Andrée Marthe Virot ; * February 3, 1905 , † March 5, 2010 in Long Ashton near Bristol ) belonged to the French resistance movement Résistance during the German occupation of France in World War II and was a member of a resistance group alongside Eileen Nearne , who came to be known as Agent Rose .

Life

At the beginning of the Second World War, Andrée Marthe Virot ran a hairdressing salon in the French port city of Brest in Brittany .

Second World War

After the German invasion of France, she joined the Resistance and initially distributed underground newspapers. She later led her own group within the resistance movement. Together with her group, she guided Allied aircraft to improvised runways with light signals and helped the pilots and crew members who landed in France to escape to England in cannon boats or submarines, which saved the lives of more than 100 Allied crew members and helped another 20,000 people. In addition, the group also transmitted news about the military situation, troop and ship movements and other events from the port city of Brest. In 1943 she was betrayed and was able to move to Paris under a different name.

One week after the Allies landed in Normandy, she was betrayed again in Paris in 1944, arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, which left her with permanent health problems. Afterwards she was first transferred to the Ravensbrück concentration camp , in order to be finally transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp . There she was already standing in front of the firing squad when the US Army was able to free her with a few other prisoners from the camp at the end of April 1945. She also survived the disease with meningitis .

After the war

After the war, she worked in a restaurant in Paris, where she first met her future husband, the Englishman John Peel († 2003), who was still studying at the time. The couple settled in Long Ashton near Bristol a few years later . Her marriage to her husband, a neuropsychologist, who was 20 years her junior, was happy but remained childless. During her time in Long Ashton, she received frequent visits from people who admired her work for the Resistance and was also able to help some visitors over their injuries.

Honors

Peel received several awards from the French government for her work for the Resistance. The United States awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the British King George VI. awarded her the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct . After the war she received a personal congratulatory letter from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill .

She was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Eisenhower .

She received the admission to the rank of officer of the French Legion of Honor in 2004 by her brother, the four-star general Maurice Virot . On February 3, 2005, on the occasion of her 100th birthday, she received a greeting from the British Queen. In 2010, two weeks after her 105th birthday, she broke her hip in a fall and had to have an operation. She died on March 5, 2010 in the Lampton House Nursing Home.

Liam Fox , UK MP for Woodspring, said:

“Mrs Peel was an iconic figure who showed phenomenal courage in the most difficult circumstances. Her selfless bravery saved many lives and she stands as a monument to the triumph of the human spirit, which will set an example for many generations to come. "

“Mrs. Peel was a role model who showed the utmost bravery under the most difficult conditions. Your selfless bravery saved the lives of many people and it is a sign of the triumph of humanity, exemplary for many future generations. "

Her home was broken into between March 10 and 11, 2010 and various items, including some copies of her autobiography, were stolen. The police believe that the break-in was linked to the general news of her death, which was widely reported in local and national newspapers.

Autobiography

Her autobiography Miracles Do Happen was published in French under the title Miracles Existent! published, the English translation was done by Evelyn Scott Brown, it was released in 1999. It was screened in 2008 by William Ennals.

Awards

Works

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Décret du 16 avril 2004 portant promotion et nomination . In: JORF . 2004, No. 91, April 17, 2004, p. 7067. DEFM0400331D. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  2. ↑ a b c d French Resistance heroine celebrates 104th birthday. Telegraph.co.uk, London, February 4, 2009, accessed February 27, 2012 .
  3. ↑ a b c French war heroine film tribute. In: BBC News . July 27, 2008, accessed February 27, 2012 .
  4. ↑ Was heroine toasts 104th birthday. In: BBC News . February 4, 2009, accessed February 27, 2012 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Obituary: Andrée Peel. The Daily Telegraph , March 9, 2010, accessed February 27, 2012 (English, with photo of young people, in detail).
  6. ^ A b Century for former French fighter. In: BBC News . February 3, 2005, accessed February 27, 2012 .
  7. ↑ a b WWII heroine Andree Peel dies in Long Ashton aged 105. In: BBC News Channel. March 8, 2010, accessed February 27, 2012 .
  8. ^ Bob Hufford: Andrée Peel in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved February 27, 2012. (with photo)
  9. ↑ Hip operations for war heroine Agent Rose, 105. (No longer available online.) February 26, 2010, formerly in the original ; accessed on July 17, 2012 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.thisisbristol.co.uk  
  10. ^ Lasting Tribute to Andree Peel. Associated Northcliffe Digital, March 8, 2010, accessed February 27, 2012 (see Tributes and messages, March 12, 2010).
  11. ↑ 'Despicable' raid at WWII heroine Andree Peel's home. In: BBC News Channel. March 13, 2010, accessed February 27, 2012 .
  12. ↑ Miracles do happen. Loebertas, accessed on February 27, 2012 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Peel, Andrée
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Virot, Andrée Marthe (maiden name); Virot Peel, Andrée Marthe (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French resistance fighter
DATE OF BIRTH February 3, 1905
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 2010
Place of death Long Ashton near Bristol