Vera Atkins
Encyclopedia
Vera Atkins, CBE
(b. 16 June 1908, Bucharest, Romania - d. 24 June 2000, Hastings, England) was a British Intelligence Officer during World War II
.
in 1933 but, after a couple of years, they moved to France
. She enrolled at the Sorbonne
in Paris
to study modern languages before attending finishing school at Lausanne
. The surname 'Atkins' was her South African-born mother's maiden name, which she adopted as her own. She was a cousin of Rudolf Vrba
.
, and in February 1941, she joined the French
section of the Special Operations Executive
(SOE). She remained a civilian until August 1944, when she was commissioned a flight officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF). She was officially the section's intelligence officer while serving as assistant to section head Maurice Buckmaster
.
Atkins was given one of SOE's most sensitive jobs - recruiting and deploying female agents. Recently controversy has arisen as to why clues that one of F section's main spy networks had been penetrated by the Germans - F section being the section of the SOE in charge of operations in France - were not picked up, and Buckmaster and Atkins failed to pull out agents at risk. "Instead they sent in several more. A radio operator, Gilbert Norman, had sent a message omitting his security check - a deliberate mistake. So why did she not challenge Buckmaster when other signals from captured radios came in without checks?" Atkins let Buckmaster, " repeat his errors at the expense of agents lives." Her biographer Sarah Helm believes that Atkins, who still had relatives in Nazi occupied Europe, may have had secret dealings with the Nazis.
was accomplished, she went to Germany
. Her self-appointed mission was to investigate the fate of the 118 F section
agents who had disappeared in enemy territory. She succeeded in every case except one.
. She retired to Winchelsea
, Sussex
, and died in a nursing home in Hastings
on 24 June 2000, aged 92.
Her gravestone is in Zennor churchyard in Cornwall, with the name Vera May Atkins, Légion d'honneur
Croix de Guerre
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(b. 16 June 1908, Bucharest, Romania - d. 24 June 2000, Hastings, England) was a British Intelligence Officer during World War II
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
She was born Vera Maria Rosenberg to a Romanian Jewish father, and a British Jewish mother, in Bucharest, Romania. Her family emigrated to EnglandEngland
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...
in 1933 but, after a couple of years, they moved to 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...
. She enrolled at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
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...
to study modern languages before attending finishing school at Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. The surname 'Atkins' was her South African-born mother's maiden name, which she adopted as her own. She was a cousin of Rudolf Vrba
Rudolf Vrba
Rudolf "Rudi" Vrba, born Walter Rosenberg was a Slovak-Canadian professor of pharmacology at the University of British Columbia, who came to public attention during the Second World War when, in April 1944, he escaped from the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland with the first...
.
World War II
In May 1940, Atkins returned to EnglandEngland
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...
, and in February 1941, she joined the French
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...
section of the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE). She remained a civilian until August 1944, when she was commissioned a flight officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF). She was officially the section's intelligence officer while serving as assistant to section head Maurice Buckmaster
Maurice Buckmaster
Colonel Maurice James Buckmaster OBE was the leader of the French section of Special Operations Executive and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He was a corporate manager with the French branch of the Ford Motor Company, in the postwar years serving in Dagenham...
.
Atkins was given one of SOE's most sensitive jobs - recruiting and deploying female agents. Recently controversy has arisen as to why clues that one of F section's main spy networks had been penetrated by the Germans - F section being the section of the SOE in charge of operations in France - were not picked up, and Buckmaster and Atkins failed to pull out agents at risk. "Instead they sent in several more. A radio operator, Gilbert Norman, had sent a message omitting his security check - a deliberate mistake. So why did she not challenge Buckmaster when other signals from captured radios came in without checks?" Atkins let Buckmaster, " repeat his errors at the expense of agents lives." Her biographer Sarah Helm believes that Atkins, who still had relatives in Nazi occupied Europe, may have had secret dealings with the Nazis.
After World War II
When the allied victory in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
was accomplished, she went to Germany
Germany
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...
. Her self-appointed mission was to investigate the fate of the 118 F section
SOE F Section networks
These are the networks, also known as circuits, established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations Executive during the Second World War...
agents who had disappeared in enemy territory. She succeeded in every case except one.
Death
In 1987, Atkins was appointed Commandeur of the Légion d'HonneurLégion 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...
. She retired to Winchelsea
Winchelsea
Winchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and died in a nursing home in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
on 24 June 2000, aged 92.
Her gravestone is in Zennor churchyard in Cornwall, with the name Vera May Atkins, 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...
Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The 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...
.