"For decades she has remained in the shadows; a reluctant heroine with an astonishing past. But on Tuesday, Phyllis Latour Doyle, a 93-year-old former British spy, will step into the limelight. Seventy years after being parachuted behind enemy lines in occupied Normandy, Mrs Doyle – or Pippa to her friends – will be awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration, in recognition of her courage in helping to liberate the country from the Nazis. Motivated in part by revenge for the murder by the Germans of a close family friend, Mrs Doyle engaged in a mission to gather information on German positions ahead of the D-Day landings. In all, she relayed 135 secret messages to Britain before France’s eventual liberation in August 1944. She was awarded the MBE for her bravery by the British government but her actions have remained largely unheralded. Mrs Doyle didn’t even tell her children about her exploits until 15 years ago. That anonymity will change when the French ambassador to New Zealand, where Mrs Doyle, a mother of four, now lives, bestows upon her the Legion of Honour on Tuesday November 25." Continue reading: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11248032/Wartime-spy-finally-accepts-she-is-a-French-heroine.html
Nice story, Tommy. It's more evidence that those involved in WW2 just did their duty without talking about their exploits. I'm glad she got some recognition for her role.
just the arrival in 'occupied' territory, usually at night, had to be ''scary''.....then everyday, knowing you are not safe....something we can't ever feel....salute to her
I honestly don't know if I would have had the courage to do what these women did. Their bravery is amazing.
I have just been writing about her and I had no idea she was still alive. Thanks for posting this. She did some remarkable work in partnership with brother and sister SOE agents Claude and Lise de Baissac.