Odette Marie Léonie Céline Brailly was born on 28 April 1912 at 208, rue des Corroyers in Amiens, France;[1] the daughter of Emma Rose Marie Yvonne née Quennehen[notes 1] and Florentin Désiré Eugène 'Gaston' Brailly,[notes 2] a bank manager, killed at Verdun shortly before the Armistice in 1918 and posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and Médaille militaire for heroism. Odette Hallowes, G.C., M.B.E., wartime heroine of the Special Operations Executive, died on March 13 at her Walton-on-Thames home aged 82. That brought her to the attention of Colonel Maurice Buckmaster's Special Operations Executive. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. (5) Odette Hallowes, The Times (17th March, 1975) 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 1950 film Odette told her story. She was born in Amiens on April 28, 1912. [27], She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire and was the first of three Second World War First Aid Nursing Yeomanry members to be awarded the George Cross (gazetted 20 August 1946). They'll have a dead body, useless to them. See the article in its original context from. Odette Hallowes, G.C., M.B.E., wartime heroine of the Special Operations Executive, died on March 13 at her Walton-on-Thames home aged 82. Churchill and Sansom took up residence at the Hotel de la Poste in the village of Saint-Jorioz. Odette born under the Taurus horoscope as Odette's birth date is April 28. Odette’s medals can be seen today in her special display at the Imperial War Museum. Men usually want a mate with them. I am not all that bad — it's just circumstances. She refused to disclose the whereabouts of Rabinovitch and another British agent, stuck to her fabricated cover story that Churchill was the nephew of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, that she was his wife, and that he knew nothing of her activities. She and Churchill were arrested there on 16 April 1943 by spy-hunter Hugo Bleicher. She seems to have little experience of the outside world. Odette Hallowes's estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & much more details has been updated below. She spent the rest of the war imprisoned in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. There was opposition from mo… Odette Hallowes was the most highly decorated woman and spy during World War Two. [23] [28] She remains the only woman to have received the George Cross whilst alive, all other female awards to date being posthumous. [30], On 23 February 2012, the Royal Mail released a postage stamp featuring Hallowes as part of its "Britons of Distinction" series.[32]. Odette took all responsibility for the operation upon herself, sparing Churchill from interrogation and the possibility of revealing secrets; refusing to give up information despite being branded and having her toenails pulled out, Odette was sentenced to death (along with Churchill) in June 1943, and sent to Ravensbruck in May of 1944 but never executed, perhaps in part because of the "nephew" tale. She was married to Geoffrey MacLeod Hallowes, Peter Churchill and Roy Sansom. She married Captain Churchill in 1947 after the death of her first husband. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. [21], Sansom said she believed she was "not brave, not courageous, but just make up my mind about certain things." Real Name: Maria Krystyna Janina Skarbek Date of Birth: 01.05.1908 Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland Cause of Death: Stabbed out of jealousy Languages: Polish, English, French Codenames: Madame Pauline Awards: George Medal, OBE, 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, … She was married to Geoffrey MacLeod Hallowes, Peter Churchill and Roy Sansom. Odette Sansom LdH (1912 – 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, was a Special Operations Executive agent during the Second World War. Your little dog really loves me. I won't let them have me." 2 Ways to Vote her Up! Spouse (3) Her back was scorched with a red-hot poker and all of her toenails were pulled out. Odette Churchill had opposed making the film in Hollywood, for fear that the film would be fictionalised. Her torture was carried out by a "very good-looking young Frenchman" whom she believed was mentally ill.[5]. World War Two Historians, Teatchers, Students and Researchers Ressources Center Despite, Odette’s suspicions, his involvement led to her arrest. 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. Odette thought her end had come when told that Hitler was dead. Peter Churchill in Cannes. Odette Hallowes, 82, A British Agent Tortured by Nazis. By accepting death, she felt that "they would not win anything. And if I can think that way instead of thinking what is going to happen in a half-hour's time," Because of her past illnesses she knew "I was able to accept this, and survive it." [4] She later recalled that she had suspicions of disloyalty about other members of the Spindle network, but declined to identify who she suspected. GC, MBE LdH (1912 – 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, was a Special Operations Executive agent during the Second World War. Sansom testified against the prison guards charged with war crimes at the 1946 Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials, which resulted in Suhren's execution in 1950. [24] After an appeal by her mother, it was returned with a note saying: "You, Madame, appear to be a dear old lady. Infuriated, Bleicher sent her to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Sansom had Rabinovich send a wireless message to SOE headquarters in London reporting the contact. [17], In Ravensbruck Sansom was kept in a punishment block cell, on a starvation diet, and could hear other prisoners being beaten. She is known for her work on Carve Her Name with Pride (1958), This Is Your Life (1955) and Premier Plan (1959). In 1951, her home was burgled and the George Cross stolen. [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. Camp commandant Fritz Suhren had brought her with him when he surrendered to the Americans in the hope that her supposed connections to Churchill might allow him to negotiate his way out of execution.George Lovell, Consultancy, Ministry & Mission, Continuum International Publishing Gro… Obituary in The Times March 17th 1995. Odette Hallowes GC MBE LdH (28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Sansom and Odette Churchill, was a Special Operations Executive agent during the Second World War. She is buried with Odette at Burvale cemetery where her name is given as Yvonne Marie Rose Brailly. She was born in Amiens on April 28, 1912. Some officials did not believe her story and cast doubt upon her integrity. 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. "[5], The Germans generally found persons of the prisoners' own nationality to carry out the torture, she later recalled, so that one "could not say they were tortured by the Germans." 1995-03-18 04:00:00 PDT London-- Odette Hallowes, a British agent tortured by the Gestapo during World War II and the first woman awarded the George Cross, died Monday at the age of 82. In just 15 months of operation - between July 1942 and October 1943 - between 700,000 and … That brought her to the attention of Colonel Maurice Buckmaster's Special Operations Executive. [3][21] The cell was located near the crematorium and would be covered with burned hair from the cremations. This cover features 5 of the 10 Britons of Distinction stamps along wih a Buckingham Palace, London SW1 postmark, and it is available signed by Matt Croucher GC. Odette Sansom Hallowes was born on April 28, 1912 and died on March 13, 1995. Whilst on a deadly mission working for the French Resistance, her cover is blown and Odette is captured and interrogated by ruthless Gestapo officers. She was married to Geoffrey MacLeod Hallowes, Peter Churchill and Roy Sansom. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre with a bronze star. Hearing the broadcast, Sansom wrote that she had photographs taken around Boulogne, but she mistakenly sent her letter to the War Office instead of the Admiralty. Sansom arrived in France on 2 November 1942 and worked as a courier with the Spindle network (or circuit) of SOE headed by Peter Churchill (whom she later married). She died on 13 March 1995 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, aged 82. The son of Lillie née Parkington and Abbey Sansom of Colchester. However, the evaluation noted "her patriotism and keenness to do something for France." Sansom rejected the overtures. In my view, women were very much better than men for the work. She is excitable and temperamental, although she has a certain determination." SOE agents allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. Mr Sansom joined the army at the beginning of the Second World War, and Odette Sansom and the children moved to Somerset for their safety. [3][7] A bad fall during training ruled out parachute entry into France. He learned from Marsac the location of Churchill and Sansom, got a letter of introduction to them from him, and proceeded to Saint-Jorioz where he introduced himself to Sansom as "Colonel Henri." [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. Death, Birthday & Horoscope Odette Hallowes has been died on 82 years (age at death). At one point toward the end of the war, she witnessed an instance of cannibalism of a dead inmate by starving prisoners. Odette Hallowes. She is known for her work on Carve Her Name with Pride (1958), This Is Your Life (1955) and Premier Plan (1959). After the war and his separation from Odette he married Carla Schmidt (1921–2004). She died on March 13, 1995 in Walton-on-Thames, … She had a convent education and was considered difficult, perhaps because of her illnesses. Sansom, known as Odette Churchill after her marriage, gained considerable fame after the publication of a 1949 biography[26] and a film on her war work and prison ordeal in 1950. She was awarded the George Cross -- Britain's second-highest honor -- in 1946 and France's Legion of Honor in 1950. Odette Hallowes, a British agent tortured by the Gestapo in World War II and the first woman awarded the George Cross, died at her home in Walton-on … She died on March 13, 1995 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. [21], She was condemned to death on two counts in June 1943, to which she responded, "Then you will have to make up your mind on what count I am to be executed, because I can only die once." Odette Hallowes was born on April 28, 1912 in Amiens, Somme, France as Odette Marie Céline Brailly. [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. Odette Hallowes, a British agent tortured by the Gestapo in World War II and the first woman awarded the George Cross, died at her home in Walton-on-Thames on March 13. She was betrayed by a double agent, ‘Colonel Henri’ in April 1943. Scroll down and check out her short and medium hairstyles. Odette Hallowes was born on April 28, 1912 in Amiens, Somme, France as Odette Marie Céline Brailly. She came to the attention of the Special Operations Executive, which was working with the French Resistance, and she ultimately went to work with the Resistance network operated by Capt. He then departed Saint-Jorioz with a plan to return and depart France together by clandestine aircraft on April 18. ODETTE HALLOWES, 84, a British agent tortured by the Gestapo in World War II and the first woman awarded the Georg Cross, died Monday (March 13, 1995) at her home in Walton-on-Thames, her family said. "When I left the Gestapo headquarters that evening there were no nails on my toes. They were joined there by several other members of the Carte network and SOE, a gathering which attracted the attention of the Italian fascist police and the Gestapo. We are live from Paddington for the naming of Intercity Express Train 800314 after the most decorated WW2 spy Odette Hallowes. [7], Her wartime record was the subject of a 1950 film, Odette, in which the title role was played by Anna Neagle and Trevor Howard played Churchill. In the spring of 1942, the Admiralty appealed for postcards or family photographs taken on the French coastline for possible war use. She was born in Amiens on April 28, 1912. [31], She served as a technical advisor on a film on her fellow SOE agent Violette Szabo, Carve Her Name With Pride. While in Ravensbrück Eventually, Odette Sansom ended up in the Ravensbrück concentration camp, the Nazis’ death camp for women about 50,000 died due to starvation, being overworked and illnesses while 2,200 others were killed via the gas chambers. Was carried out by a `` kind of bargaining agent tortured by Nazis took! 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