Andrée Peel
Encyclopedia
Andrée Peel was one of a couple of women known as Agent Rose (the other being Eileen Nearne
).
She worked against the German occupation of France as a member of the French Resistance
during the Second World War
.
port of Brest, France
.
invasion she joined the resistance and was involved in distributing secret newspapers but was later appointed head of an under-section of the resistance. She and her team used torches to guide allied planes to improvised landing strips and helped airmen who had landed in France
to escape onto submarines and gunboats, saving the lives of more than one hundred soldiers and airmen, and aided more than 20,000 people.
She was arrested in Paris
in 1944 and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp
, later being transferred to the concentration camp at Buchenwald before her eventual release. She was being lined up to be shot by firing squad at Buchenwald when the US Army arrived to liberate the prisoners. She also survived meningitis
.
academic named John Peel (who at the time was still a student), while working in a restaurant in Paris
, and they settled in Long Ashton
, near Bristol
, several years later. The union was happy but childless. While living in Long Ashton, Andree received many visits from admirers and also managed to relieve the pain of visitors with injuries.
She was presented with the Medal of Freedom
by President Eisenhower
.
She received the Légion d'honneur
from her brother, four-star General Maurice Virot, in 2004. On February 3, 2005, she received a note from the Queen as she had just turned 100 years old. In 2010 she turned 105 and fractured her hip two weeks later after a bad fall and had to undergo surgery. She died peacefully at the Lampton House nursing home on 5 March 2010.
Woodspring MP Liam Fox
paid tribute to Mrs Peel, saying: "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."
Her house was broken into somewhere between the 10th and 11 March 2010 and several items stolen, including copies of her autobiography. Police suspect that it was because of the widespread knowledge of her death after reporting in local and national newspapers.
as Miracles Existent! (English
version translated by Evelyn Scott Brown). It has been made into a film by William Ennals.
Eileen Nearne
Eileen Mary "Didi" Nearne MBE, was a member of the UK's Special Operations Executive during World War II. She served in occupied France as a radio operator under the codename "Rose".-Early life and career:...
).
She worked against the German occupation of France as a member of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Born as Andrée Marthe Virot, when World War II broke out she was running a beauty salon in the BretonBrittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
port of Brest, France
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
.
World War II
After the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invasion she joined the resistance and was involved in distributing secret newspapers but was later appointed head of an under-section of the resistance. She and her team used torches to guide allied planes to improvised landing strips and helped airmen who had landed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to escape onto submarines and gunboats, saving the lives of more than one hundred soldiers and airmen, and aided more than 20,000 people.
She was arrested in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1944 and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
, later being transferred to the concentration camp at Buchenwald before her eventual release. She was being lined up to be shot by firing squad at Buchenwald when the US Army arrived to liberate the prisoners. She also survived meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
.
After the war
After the war, she met her future husband, an EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
academic named John Peel (who at the time was still a student), while working in a restaurant in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and they settled in Long Ashton
Long Ashton
Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset, a few miles south west of the city of Bristol. The parish has a population of 4,981...
, near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, several years later. The union was happy but childless. While living in Long Ashton, Andree received many visits from admirers and also managed to relieve the pain of visitors with injuries.
Awards
Mrs. Peel received many decorations from the French government for her resistance work, and she was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the United States and the King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct by Britain. During the war she received a personal letter of appreciation from Prime Minister Winston Churchill.She was presented with the Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
by President Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
.
She received the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
from her brother, four-star General Maurice Virot, in 2004. On February 3, 2005, she received a note from the Queen as she had just turned 100 years old. In 2010 she turned 105 and fractured her hip two weeks later after a bad fall and had to undergo surgery. She died peacefully at the Lampton House nursing home on 5 March 2010.
Woodspring MP Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
paid tribute to Mrs Peel, saying: "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."
Her house was broken into somewhere between the 10th and 11 March 2010 and several items stolen, including copies of her autobiography. Police suspect that it was because of the widespread knowledge of her death after reporting in local and national newspapers.
Autobiography
Her autobiography, Miracles Do Happen, was published in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as Miracles Existent! (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version translated by Evelyn Scott Brown). It has been made into a film by William Ennals.
Decorations
- Medal of FreedomPresidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
- Medal of the Resistance
- Ordre de la LibérationOrdre de la LibérationThe Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...
- Knight of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1967, promoted to Officer in 2004 - King's Commendation for Brave Conduct
- Croix de guerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(with palm)