A Cool and Lonely Courage: The Untold Story of Sister Spies in Occupied France by Susan Ottaway
A Cool and Lonely Courage: The Untold Story of Sister Spies in Occupied France by Susan Ottaway
The death of an eccentric recluse is rarely an event for international headlines. But when police were called to the tiny apartment of the elderly Eileen Nearne, they found a small bundle of possessions that told an amazing story.
It was soon discovered that Eileen Nearne had been an agent for the British Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. Working undercover in Nazi-occupied France, she sent encoded messages of crucial importance for the Allies until her capture by the Gestapo.
Astonishingly, Eileen was not the only spy in the family -- her sister, Jacqueline, was also a British agent, working as a courier for the French Resistance. Rarely had two members of the same family sacrificed so much to do such dangerous work.
A Cool and Lonely Courage pays tribute to these fiercely patriotic women, who fought for freedom at great personal cost. While Jacqueline narrowly avoided capture several times, Eileen was tortured by the Gestapo and sent to the infamous Ravenbruck women's concentration camp. Eventually, this resourceful young woman escaped and found her way to the advancing American army. She was only twenty-three.
In this stunning account of triumph and tragedy, Susan Ottaway unveils the secret lives of two women who sacrificed themselves to defend their country, sisters who stood shoulder to shoulder during the darkest of days.
Little, Brown & Company, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2014
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.