'One very stubborn and extremely courageous lady'

Eileen Mary Nearne was born in Fulham on March, 15, 1921, to an English father and Spanish mother. She was the youngest of four children. Her older sister was Jacqueline and brothers Francis and Frederick. All four children fled France to Britain in the Second World War and more amazingly all would survive in spite of Jacqueline and Eileen having served in the Secret Operations Executive and Frederick in the RAF. It was Prime Minister Churchill that codenamed the SOE the 'Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare'.
Having been schooled in France the children all had colloquial French and no regional accents, crucial to anyone wishing to go undercover.
Sent to Scotland, Eileen was to be trained as an SOE wireless operator while her sister, initially an administrator, also became a member of the SOE. It was on March 2, 1944, that Eileen aboard a Lysander aircraft returned to France to meet her SOE organiser Jean Savy. With the code name 'Rose' -yet always referred to as 'Didi' - Eileen's mission was to help Savy set up an SOE network named 'Wizard'. Initially based in Paris, she now trained operators who would be getting involved in the coming D-Day landings.
Radio links to London were essential to the Allies yet, sadly, the Wizard network was soon lost and Didi was sent to a new circuit called 'Spiritualist' at a new safe house. She sent over 100 messages of importance on Operation Crossbow - a known German plan involving 2,000 VI rockets secretly hidden in a French quarry but destined for London.
However, disaster struck again when seven German vehicles carrying 17 officers arrived after finding the safe house. Fortunately Didi had time to destroy messages received although capturing the radio was sufficient proof for her immediate arrest in July, 1944. Taken to Gestapo HQ, she was tortured by what later she realised had was the 'baignoire' system, involving the emersion of the head in cold water and being held down until the lungs threatened to burst, all in an endeavour to 'refresh the memory'.
In spite of further torture, Didi never divulged anything, always stating she was a simple French girl who knew nothing about the Resistance. Normally, anyone even remotely connected to the Resistance, would immediately be shot, yet her story was accepted by the Gestapo, likely because of her impeccable French.
Taken to Fresnes Prison on August 15, 1944 now she ended up in the infamous Ravensbruck camp which later she described as 'a hideous, degrading' camp where she witnessed 'hell on earth' and yet befriended Violette Szabo whose SOE story was later portrayed in the film 'Carve Her Name with Pride.'
At Ravensbruck Didi became aware of many English being gassed or shot yet she survived. Interrogators continuously questioned her but they never broke the 'poor French girl's' story with its assumed name Jacqueline du Tertre. Did the Gestapo ever check the name? No-one will ever know but what we know is her head was shaven while being informed she would be shot if she ever refused to do prison work.
Moved to numerous labour camps, eventually Didi arrived at the German factory in Abteroda. Forced here to assemble parts for German aeroplanes yet always a rebel she confirmed later: "I surreptitiously broke the odd part here and there - quite deliberately."
Her final move came on December 1, 1944 when arriving at Markleberg camp Leipzeig where all the females worked long hours every day, constructing a new railway. No-one knew that liberation day was nigh - April 5, 1945 - but that will have to wait my second article next week, when Torquay will feature widely.
IAN'S COMMENT This extremely stubborn brave lady became a recluse in Torquay and held her SOE history secret for sixty years - quite amazing.

NEXT WEEK - The second part of Eileen's story is told.