Eileen Nearne

Eileen Nearne, an 89 year old lady from Devon, never discussed what she did in the war, but after her death last week it was discovered that she had been a spy for the Special Operations Executive, assisting the French resistance. Aged 23 she was dropped into occupied France and worked as a courier and wireless operator. She was captured and 3 times by the Nazis but managed to escape every time. She was eventually sent to a concentration camp in Germany. On several occasions she was tortured but never revealed the names of her fellow agents. Asked how she coped in such a distressing situation she said, "You should not let yourself go. It seemed that the end would never come, but I have always believed in destiny and I had a hope. If you are a person who is drowning, you put all your efforts into trying to swim."

You can read more about her fascinating story here.

De Gaulle's broadcast

President Sarkozy is in the UK today to commemmorate the 70th anniversary of General De Gaulle's broadcast from the BBC studios in London to the French just before France's surrender to the Germans in 1940. The French resistance was inspired by his words - "Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished" - and De Gaulle's leadership was an important feature of the Second World War. See the BBC's report and the Guardian's report at the weekend of a new biography which uncovers Britain's suspicion of De Gaulle. France's celebrations of events during the Second World War tend to be more muted than Britain's due to its Nazi occupation so it is particularly important for it to promote De Gaulle's and the French Resistance's activities.

PS: Here is a fascinating comment from the head of BBC History on the significance of the speech - it is a really important event for the French and Nicolas Sarkozy himself has said 'We are all the children of the 18 June' Here is further comment (in French) from L'Express.

PPS: June 18 also marks the 70th Anniversary of Churchill's "Finest Hour" speech, the third of 3 famous speeches given during his first month as Prime Minister. The Sun have made the most of this occasion as you can see below...