Special Operations Executive (SOE) Memorial

[Drew5233]

A mate of mine in London has emailed me today with some pictures of the new memorial opened today on the embankment in London.

Whilst I applaud this memorial it does make one wonder what people have been thinking for the last 65 odd years when I'm sure so many who served in SOE during WW2 have now passed away and will never get to see the role recognised.

[Gage]

Thanks Andy. A very fitting tribute with the Violette Szabo sculpture, nice to see the women of SOE leading the way.

[Drew5233]

Just been looking on BBC News to see if there is a story and found this great page on SOE:

BBC - History - British Special Operations Executive (SOE): Tools and Gadgets Gallery

I like the false feet best

[Gage]

A memorial to honour secret agents who worked for the Allies in World War II is unveiled in London, featuring a carving of captured and executed Violette Szabo.



BBC NEWS | UK | Secret agents' memorial unveiled

[Harry Ree]

There is an equally impressive memorial to the SOE down in Valencay in the Indre Department.Unveiled in May 1991 by the Queen Mother it records the 13 woman and 104 men who lost their lives in SOE Operations.(Have a photograph of the memorial, pre digital era somewhere.)

Violett Szabo nee Bushell was a daughter of a Great War British soldier and his wife who was French.

SOE was wound up quickly after the war but its place in history belongs to the likes of M R D Foot who was commissioned, as regards operations in France, to write its history in the early 1960s as "SOE in France" and E H Cookridge who penned "Inside SOE" (covered France the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark.) Apparently there was some restrictions placed on these two historians.Foot was not allowed to look at the PFs of the SOE agents while Cookridge was given authorty to view them but his UK edition was an abridged version,unlike the version circulating in the US.

[militarycross]

This is a great story about Canadians in the SOE. I had just mentioned that this story was published in The Beaver, a Canadian history magazine, as the cover story for this month's issue.

Picasa Web Albums - Tom - Canadian Spie...#

These men and women define bravery in a manner unheard of. May each one find a place of honour in the eternal hall of justice.

cheers,
phil

[Harry Ree]

Passing through Le Clos in the Limousin last August, I took these photographs where Violett Szabo came down by parachute on her second and what was to be her final operation into occupied France.

Le Clos,south east of Limoges and about 20 kms east of the A20 is a hamlet comprising of one farm, one house and an abandoned house and I suppose not much has happened to it since the end of the war.This area is worth visiting being an example of the beautiful Limousin countryside.On the west side of the hamlet stands Mt Gargan, a scene of intense resistance activity under Georges Guingouin, a former teacher sacked by Vichy,a communist who did not wait until June 1941 to oppose the German occupation.

Le Clos.Entering the hamlet from the south.

[Harry Ree]

Le Clos.Leaving the hamet at the north end where Violett Szabo is remembered by a memorial at the Violett Szabo Carrefour. In the background and at a higher elevation lies Mt Gargan at 731 metres.I think that Violett came to ground in the fields in the background.

[Harry Ree]

The Violett Szabo Memorial at the Le Clos carrefour

[militarycross]

Nice closing the loop on this, Harry, with pictures. THanks

cheers,
phil