Berthe Fraser
Berthe Fraser in September 1944 but was saved by Allied soldiers who drove away her captors.
As a result of her actions and "acts of great bravery", she was awarded medals from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[2]
Fraser married a British soldier in 1919 after he served in the
Second World War
The start of the war saw Fraser running a perfume[4] shop in Arras. She and her husband stayed in France when the Germans invaded in May 1940. Since he was British, he was interned soon after the invasion.[5]: 176
Fraser soon created her own underground network to smuggle out British and other allied airmen who had been shot down. The
She was arrested in 1941 and sent to prison in Belgium. During her interrogation, she started providing misleading information that seemed true enough that the Gestapo had to check out the details. In December 1942, after 15 months, she was released as she was considered a "burden on resources".[7] She quickly resumed her previous activities.[3]
She helped
Fraser was captured again in February 1944, after being betrayed by a British agent. She was tortured for 28 days and locked in solitary confinement for six months. The Gestapo wanted her to provide details about her activities and other members of the resistance. By May 1944 she had been sentenced to be executed, but was saved by Allied soldiers who freed her from the prison.[3]
After the war
Fraser was awarded seven medals from several allied countries after the war. In 1990, the Imperial War Museum purchased her medals for $28,500.[8]
Fraser died in 1956. She never fully recovered from her month-long torture.[6]: 499
Medals
- Medal of Freedom — United States[2]
- Legion d'Honneur — France[2]
- George Medal — United Kingdom[9]
References
- ISBN 9780786422166.
- ^ a b c "Papers Concerning Berthe Fraser GM". London, UK: Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9781438100869.
- ^ "1936 Census". Pas de Calais Archives Online. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ISBN 9781473851665.
- ^ ISBN 9781135769888.
- ^ ISBN 9781611452310.
- ^ a b "Museum buys medals' Resistance heroine won". The Courier-Journal. The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. 8 April 1990. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "FOURTH SUPPLEMENT TO The London Gazette Of FRIDAY, the 19th of JULY, 1946" (PDF). London Gazette. 19 July 1946.