Comments on: The Lady Was a Spy

The Lady Was a Spy

CheeseLouise — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:27:34 -0800

Eileen Nearne was found dead in her flat in Torquay on September 2, apparently alone and forgotten. But it turns out, she was neither.

By: zizzle

zizzle — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:37:07 -0800

By: dersins

dersins — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:42:06 -0800

Fascinating. Thanks. As easy it is to be cynical when people like Tom Brokaw get all "ooh Greatest Generation" in talking about the second world war, it's stories like Eileen's (and the thousands like her)-- ordinary people who took extraordinary risks fighting against true evil-- that make me think there's something to it after all.

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:42:07 -0800

. 'Professional' media fails research. Typical.

By: rtha

rtha — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:43:08 -0800

What a life - she escaped from Ravensbrück! She is thanked - and written about - in the stellar A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII. For her incredible courage and determination I say thanks, and offer a .

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:44:22 -0800

My father fought in WWII. He and his contemporaries I met have made me suspect "The Greatest Generation" has a mass undiagnosed case of PTSD. It would explain so much.

By: jenkinsEar

jenkinsEar — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:44:35 -0800

From Wiki (even more impressive than the Guardian summary):

In July 1944 her transmitter was detected and she was arrested. Nearne "survived, in silence, the full revolting treatment of the baignoire" at the Gestapo's torture chamber in the Rue des Saussaies. She reportedly managed to convince her captors that she had been sending messages for a businessman, unaware that he was British. On 15 August she was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp where she refused to work in a factory assisting the German war effort despite being threatened with execution,and was then transferred to a forced labour camp in Silesia. On 13 April 1945 she escaped with two French girls from a work gang by hiding in the forest, later traveling through Markkleeberg, where they were arrested by the S.S. but released after fooling their captors and reportedly hidden by a priest in Leipzig until the arrival of United States troops.

Unbelievably brave lady.

By: sebastienbailard

sebastienbailard — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:45:29 -0800

By: chatongriffes

chatongriffes — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:53:19 -0800

Somehow I read the "But it turns out she was neither" as implying that she was neither forgotten nor dead. So I went into the article expecting her to suddenly wake up from a faint while surrounded by adoring historians and the families of the people she helped. After being thoroughly convinced of her awesomeness, I was extra sad to realize that she had in fact passed away. You go, girl.

By: The World Famous

The World Famous — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:58:56 -0800

He and his contemporaries I met have made me suspect "The Greatest Generation" has a mass undiagnosed case of PTSD. It would explain so much. I have a whole theory on how that is the root of 1950s American puritanical social policy, culture, etc.

By: lordrunningclam

lordrunningclam — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:00:39 -0800

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:04:45 -0800

Great story; thanks for the post.

By: bearwife

bearwife — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:20:23 -0800

Lovely post. I certainly didn't know about her until now. Her story is amazing and inspiring. .

By: Iteki

Iteki — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:57:22 -0800

War is of course hell, and not at all glamorous of course, but the women of the SOE kicked some serious ass. I get all fangirly about them.

By: pjern

pjern — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:33:36 -0800

Women of the SOE kicked some serious ass. And some paid the ultimate price: See Noor Inayat Khan, Codename MADELEINE.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:58:35 -0800

Seconding rtha's suggestion of _A Life in Secrets_. Bonechilling. Also talks about Noor Inayat Khan. Shows how Ms Nearne was even more amazing than any of the obits make her sound.

By: Twang

Twang — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:39:33 -0800

Baby Boom Ché

By: micawber

micawber — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:45:04 -0800

Wonderful post. thank you.

By: warbaby

warbaby — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:57:33 -0800

NYT obituary