A Story To Be Told

Every day, another veteran of the Second World War (or The Emergency if you're in Ireland) dies. As writers, we can keep alive some of their memories.

If you write of the 1940's, you could find no more intriguing heroine than Nancy Wake. Her biography is filled with the danger and excitement of the French Resistance as it battled against the German overlords.

Ms. Wake was a feisty woman from the land down under.

If you were to read The Tin Ticket, you'd get a very good idea of what sort of woman was created by transportation, hardship, and the opportunity to fashion a decent life once given the chance.

Married to a Frenchman, Ms. Wake found herself trapped in France when war broke out. Being a true Aussie, she didn't just go cower in the cellar. She went out for blood.

So skilled and clever was Ms. Wake that she earned the nickname 'The White Mouse' for her ability to conduct covert operations without being seen. The Germans wanted her dead, and Ms. Wake eventually had to make an escape to England to survive, but she did return. Via parachute. To finish what she'd started.

Real life provides all the dramatic plots that we need. Re-telling such stories reminds us that we are capable of doing far more than we might otherwise imagine, when faced with the unimaginable.

Ms. Wake has passed away at the age of 98. Her past, her actions and her bravery, will remain behind, recorded in written words.