The Spy Who Never Came in From the Cold (great stroy)

Buried deep in Eileen Nearne's secret World War II file, released Friday by the National Archives, is the secrecy agreement she signed on September 4, 1942. It was a commitment she honored until her death last month at the age of 89. Nearne was the spy who never came in from the cold. When she died alone, with precious little support or human contact, none of her neighbors knew she had been decorated for her bravery behind enemy lines in occupied France.
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Eileen Nearne was thought unsuitable for spy work
Her wartime role was not publicly acknowledged until local officials went into her apartment after her death and found a treasure trove of medals, records and memorabilia, including French currency used during the war.

Nearne's file, released after a freedom of information request, sheds new light on her wartime exploits, which were so extraordinary that advancing American forces refused to believe her when she rushed out of a church in Germany and claimed to be an undercover British agent who had escaped from a German concentration camp.

The story of Miss Nearne's amazing bravery only emerged following her recent death in Torquay, aged 89.

Miss Nearne - who also went by the names of Jacqueline Duterte, Alice Wood, Rose, Pioneer and Petticoat during her spy work - was flown into France just before her 23rd birthday in March 1944-According to the files, she worked as a radio operator .

But just two months before, in January 1944, she was not deemed suitable by a Major assessing her training. The report, dated 26 January 1944, says: "She is not very intelligent or practical and is lacking in shrewdness and cunning. She has a bad memory, is inaccurate and scatter-brained. She seems keen, but her work was handicapped by lack of the power to concentrate."

"It is doubtful whether this student is suitable for employment in any capacity on account of her lack of experience."

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She was arrested by the Gestapo four months after arriving in Paris. Following her arrest on 25 July 1944, she was tortured and taken to concentration camps. "They asked me questions about my code," Nearne says in a statement contained in the file. "I told them lies." The agents humiliated Nearne and placed her in an ice cold bath, but she did not bend, providing them only with false addresses of bogus contacts. Finally they gave up and on August 15 sent her to the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. She eventually escaped with two French women when she was being transported to a new location in the middle of the night.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/943da921991d.jpg[/atsimg]A colleague sent word back to London about Eileen's arrest
2 Sources: www.cbsnews.com... & news.bbc.co.uk...

I leave it there but the story continues. Truly a great woman. Dedicated for sure. How many of you could do what she did? Endure what she endured? Survived as she did?

Everytime I heard these stories of incredible acts by regular people during WWII I feel proud. These types of people gave it there all. Many of them to the death.

I saw a movie of how the English recurited and trained spies. Totally funny. I am sure it was nothing like they portrayed in the movie. I bet this woman must have freaked her evaulator out and he got un-easy with her as it is clear that she had what it took. Maybe he hit on her and she rebuffed him and then he went on to write a nasty gram for her file in retaliation. It wouldn't surprise me.

Anyway, there is a BBC interview of her-but I didn't get a chance to watch. If any of you do, please let me know what you think.

What is really funny/interesting is how the US Army got a hold of her and how they handled her. Crazy.

One thing you can be sure about is that the people in this field, is all cloak and dagger. It would be very ahrd to believe anything wrote by any intelligence agency regarding anyone, as what do they deal in, decieving people.

Nice story, but when i hear about all these things, and know how the british int seem to lie about everything, and everyone.

Who knows.

reply to post by andy1033


Perhaps you are somewhat correct about the British but that is what makes them so good. At least during WWII. They out smarted the Germans most of the time (after Dunkirk-of course).

You do bring up a good point though. If she was deemed not suitable, why was she dropped into France two months after that evaulation?

It will be interesting to see if the British Gov't comments on it.

Im putting this one up for the: In case you missed it. It was on early today.

I have been thinking about this story all day. What she much have endured before being caught by the Nazi's and what happened afterwards.

She never sought fame or fortune. Did what had to be done when it needed to be done. Especially in that era-women just weren't tought to be dangerous spies. I can see a movie about this one-in about 5 years.