Vera Leigh

Vera Leigh (1903-1944) is a British secret agent of the Special Operations Executive, which helped French Resistance during the Second world war. In 1944, it is captured by the Germans and is carried out.

Biography

Youth

1903 . Birth of Vera Eugenie Knell the March 17th 1903 with Leeds, England.
Given up by his/her parents little time after his birth, it is adopted by Eugene Leigh, trainer of racehorses which have stables with Houses-Laffitte close to Paris, France.
It wants to become jockey, but after having left the school, it becomes dessinatrice of mode.
1927 . - It joins two friends to assemble a house of haute couture known under the name of Pink Valoie, Vendôme place in Paris

French resistance

1940 . - After the fall of Paris, it will join to Lyon its been engaged. It is implied in a network of escape from the French resistance, which guides the allied soldiers fallen behind the enemy lines.
1942 . - It uses the road of escape to cross the Pyrenees and to reach Spain, with the hope to arrive to England. But she is imprisoned several months with the camp of internment of Miranda de Ebro close to Bilbao. Finally, helped by official of the British Embassy, it is slackened and finishes its tour to London, via Gibraltar.

Espionage

After being itself declared voluntary like sign FANY, it is noticed by the Special Operations Executive, which recruits it like agent for its section F.
1943 .

the May 13rd, it is sent in France for its only and single mission. A plane Lysander of flotillas 161 the demounting of night on a ground of the valley of Expensive, close to Turns. It is delivered by Henri Déricourt, with three other agents: Julienne Aisner, mail of network FARRIER of Déricourt; Sidney Jones, instructor in armament and Marcel Clech, radio operator operator, will help Vera Leigh to establish a new sub-network of PROSPER called INVENTOR, of which she is the mail under the name of war of “ Simone ”.

After having received new instructions in a sure house with Neuilly-sur-Seine, Vera Leigh rents an apartment in Paris and carries messages on behalf of Jones in the city and outside, into the Ardennes.

One day, at the station Saint-Lazare, it meets by chance the husband of its sister, who directs a sure house of a network of escape. By incurring much risk, it is implied in this operation, by escorting the aviators combined in the streets of Paris so that they join their following contacts. It ties relations with other agents, including Julienne Aisner.

Capture and execution

the October 30th, it is stopped with the coffee At Mas , Place of the Terns, and is imprisoned with the Prison of Fresnes. The Germans were already with the current of its activities.

1944 .

the May 13rd, it is brought 84 Avenue Foch, Paris, the general headquarter of the Sicherheitsdienst. Others are already taken at the same time, in particular Andrée Borrel, Odette Sansom, Diana Rowden, Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman, Sonya Olschanezky and Madeleine Damerment.

the July 6th, Vera Leigh, Diana Rowden, Andree Borrel, and Sonya Olschanezky are taken along to the Concentration camp of Natzweiler-Struthof. The same day, shortly after their arrival, it receive an injection of phenol and their bodies are placed in the crematorium.

Recognition

Its plate of the memory, republished to replace “was killed with…” by “died for its country”, is assembled today on the wall of the church of the Holy Trinity at Houses-Laffitte.
Like agent of the section F of the SOE died for France, the name of Vera Leigh is honoured with the Memorial with Valençay, Indre, France.

Sources

External links:

Spartacus Educational article one Vera Leigh
Heroins off the S.O.E

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