Lilian Rolfe
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Lilian Vera Rolfe, (26 April 1914 – 5 February 1945), code name Nadine, was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE) organisation in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers, especially
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. SOE agents in France allied themselves with
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. Rolfe was a wireless operator for the Historian Network based in Orleans. After four months of work in France, she was captured by the Germans on 31 July 1944. She was executed in
Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a Nazi concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure of 1 ...
in late January 1945.


Early life

Rolfe and her twin sister Helen Fedora Rolfe were the daughters of George Rolfe, a British accountant working in Paris, and a Russian mother. Although she grew up in Paris, Rolfe came to England for a summer in Britain to learn English, but became ill with
rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...
. In 1933, when she was nineteen, the family moved to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Rolfe was working in the press section of the British Embassy when World War II began in 1939. Part of her job was monitoring German ship movements in and out of Rio. In February 1943, Rolfe left Brazil and her family behind to join the war effort in England. Her ship was badly damaged, probably by a German mine, in the ocean crossing. In England she joined the WAAF on 16 May 1943. Her facility with languages brought her to the attention of the SOE and she joined the organization on 24 November 1943. SOE trained her as a wireless operator. She was unhappy during her training because of a failed romance.


France

On 5 April 1944, Rolfe was dropped off by
Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British Army cooperation aircraft, army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operat ...
airplane at a clandestine airfield near the village of Azay-sur-Cher (near
Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
) in German occupied France. Strapped around her waist was a wireless which weighed only including its carrying case, a vast improvement over the cumbersome B-2 wireless weighing used by previous SOE agents. Rolfe was assigned to work in the Historian network (or circuit) headed by George Alfred "Teddy" Wilkinson and based in the city of Orleans. At the time of her arrival, SOE was infiltrating numerous agents, especially wireless operators, into France in preparation of the Allied invasion of France, (
D-day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
), which would take place on 6 June 1944. In accordance with SOE doctrine to minimize contact with other agents, Rolfe did not meet with Wilkinson until 2 June. In the meantime, she met and worked with the local French resistance organization, the Maquis, sought out landing sites for clandestine aircraft and parachute drops of supplies, and established
safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...
s. She sent a total of 67 wireless messages to SOE headquarters in London enabling the SOE to air drop supplies and arms for the Maquis in preparation for their role in hindering the German response to the D-day landings. She moved from place to place and between transmissions hid her radio in various locations. She was involved in a skirmish between the Germans and the Maquis near Olivet.


Capture and execution

In late June, Wilkinson was captured (and later executed) by the Germans. Rolfe continued working under a local leader named Pierre Charié. However, on 31 July the retreating Germans swept the town of
Nangis Nangis () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Nangis station has rail connections to Provins, Longueville and Paris. Coa ...
to arrest suspected resisters. In one house they anticipated finding a resister, but instead they found Rolfe, an unexpected treasure, a SOE wireless operator. Her documents were suspicious and they soon found her radio. Rolfe was interrogated at SD headquarters at 84 Avenue Foch in Paris and imprisoned at Fresnes Prison. On 8 August 1944, with the allies advancing on Paris, Rolfe and other captured SOE agents was sent by train to Germany. In late August she reached
Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a Nazi concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure of 1 ...
for women. Along with SOE agents
Violette Szabo Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo, GC (née Bushell; 26 June 1921 – February 1945) was a British-French Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during the Second World War and a posthumous recipient of the George Cross. On her second mission i ...
and Denise Bloch she volunteered for a work party at
Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...
in Saxony, where conditions were better than at Ravensbrūck. They attempted to escape but failed. Sent back to Ravensbrück, they were beaten and put in an underground bunker. On 19 October, they were sent to
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
in Brandenburg where they were forced to do heavy labor in winter conditions. Recalled to Ravensbrück in late January 1945, they were in poor health. Rolfe was unable to walk and Bloch was "suffering from gangrene." A few days later they were taken to the courtyard by the crematorium. Camp commandant Fritz Suhren read the order for their execution and they were each shot in the back of the head with a small caliber pistol. Their bodies were cremated. An eyewitness said the women were "very brave" and that Commandant Suhren was annoyed that the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
"did not themselves carry out the execution."


Honours

Rolfe's name is engraved on the Runnymede Memorial in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, England. The "Lilian Rolfe House" at the Vincennes Estate,
Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...
was dedicated to her memory. In her honour, the government of France posthumously awarded her the
Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') 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 first awarded during World ...
. In the town of
Montargis Montargis () is a commune in the Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Montargis is the seventh most populous commune in the Centre-Val de Loire ''région'', and the second in the Loiret ''département'' after Orléans. It is near ...
in the
Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.
département, where she had been active, a street was named for her alias: "Rue Claudie Rolfe". As one of the SOE agents who died for the liberation of France, she is listed on the "Roll of Honour" on the
Valençay SOE Memorial The Valençay SOE Memorial is a monument in France to the members of the Special Operations Executive F Section who died working to liberate the country during World War II. The memorial was unveiled in the town of Valençay, in the Departments o ...
in the town of Valençay, in the
Indre Indre (); is a department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administrative region of Cent ...
departément of France. Like many female agents she was seconded into the
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANY (PRVC)) is a British independent all-female registered charity structured like a military reserve unit. which primarily provides surge relief to civil and military authoriti ...
(FANY) when she joined SOE. Thus she is also commemorated on the FANY memorial at St Paul's Church Knightsbridge in London. On 19 August 2021 a plaque was installed on the house Rolfe was born in (32 avenue Duquesne in the
7th arrondissement of Paris The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. It is known for being, along with the 16th arrondissement and the ''commune'' of Neuilly-sur-Sein ...
) due to the efforts of Barbara Cronk, a member of the Rolfe family. In the 1958 film
Carve Her Name with Pride ''Carve Her Name with Pride'' is a 1958 British war Drama (film and television), drama film based on the book of the same name by R. J. Minney. The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, is based on the true story of Special Operations Executive agen ...
, the character of Lilian Rolfe was played by Anne Leon.


Notes


Bibliography

*
Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...
Beryl E. Escott, ''Mission Improbable: A salute to the RAF women of SOE in wartime France'', London, Patrick Stevens Limited, 1991. * Liane Jones, ''A Quiet Courage: Women Agents in the French Resistance'', London, Transworld Publishers Ltd, 1990. * Marucs Binney, ''The Women Who Lived for Danger: The Women Agents of SOE in the Second World War'', London, Hodder and Stoughton, 2002. * Sarah Helm, ''A Life in Secrets: The Story of Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE'', London, Abacus, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, Lilian 1914 births 1945 deaths Executed spies Female wartime spies World War II spies for the United Kingdom Female resistance members of World War II Spies who died in Nazi concentration camps Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) People who died in Ravensbrück concentration camp Women's Auxiliary Air Force officers Women's Auxiliary Air Force airwomen Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Military personnel from Paris French people executed in Nazi concentration camps Female recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Members of the Order of the British Empire French Special Operations Executive personnel British Special Operations Executive personnel French women in World War II Special Operations Executive personnel killed in World War II