VIOLETTE SZABO MUSEUM, HEREFORDSHIRE

Summary

That this House recalls with gratitude the life of Violette Szabo, who spent part of her childhood in Herefordshire; notes that her husband Etienne died at El Alamein fighting for the Free French Foreign Legion and never saw his daughter Tania, after which Violette joined the Special Operations Executive; recalls her flight to France, 24 hours after D Day, to pass messages to the Maquis; further recalls that she was captured by German troops despite giving fierce resistance, and was tortured and shot by the Gestapo at Ravensbruck Prison in January 1945; is proud that this young woman became the first woman to be awarded the George Cross posthumously and then the Croix de Guerre with Clasps; congratulates Miss Rosemary Rigby MBE who now lives at Cartref in Wormelow, where Violette stayed between missions, for establishing the Violette Szabo Museum; looks forward to the opening of the museum on 24th June, by Miss Virginia McKenna who played Violette in the film, Carve her Name with Pride; and salutes all those men and women of SOE and other special forces for the part they played in defeating Nazism in Europe.

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Timeline

1. 19 June 2000

   Early Day Motion

   That this House recalls with gratitude the life of Violette Szabo, who spent part of her childhood in Herefordshire; notes that her husband Etienne died at El Alamein fighting for the Free French Foreign Legion and never saw his daughter Tania, after which Violette joined the Special Operations Executive; recalls her flight to France, 24 hours after D Day, to pass messages to the Maquis; further recalls that she was captured by German troops despite giving fierce resistance, and was tortured and shot by the Gestapo at Ravensbruck Prison in January 1945; is proud that this young woman became the first woman to be awarded the George Cross posthumously and then the Croix de Guerre with Clasps; congratulates Miss Rosemary Rigby MBE who now lives at Cartref in Wormelow, where Violette stayed between missions, for establishing the Violette Szabo Museum; looks forward to the opening of the museum on 24th June, by Miss Virginia McKenna who played Violette in the film, Carve her Name with Pride; and salutes all those men and women of SOE and other special forces for the part they played in defeating Nazism in Europe.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• Mr Paul Keetch · Liberal Democrat · Primary sponsor

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