The title of Susan Ottaway's book A Cool and Lonely Courage - The Untold Story of Sister Spies in Occupied France (#450) gives the reader a good idea of what he or she will find within its pages. What it doesn't tell you is how differently Jacqueline and Eileen Nearne's stories played out in their work with the British Special Forces Expedition, or the effects their war work had on the rest of their lives. But the title is not quite accurate, as it turns out. Both Jacqueline and Eileen were interviewed numerous times after the war about their experiences. Jacqueline played a prominent role in a British film about this secret service, And Now It Can Be Told, and Eileen was hounded by reporters and researchers to the point that she wrote a letter of complaint to British authorities asking them to stop giving out her name. After many years had passed and both sisters had moved on with their lives, their experiences were left behind them, thankfully at least on the part of Eileen.
The Nearnes, although British citizens, were raised in France, making them ideally suited for working with British intelligence-gathering teams coordinating with French Resistance. They could pass unnoticed with their perfect French and knowledge of French cities and customs. The work as described here was difficult and dangerous, with a short life expectancy for many of the operatives. Both survived the war, but neither was unmarked. Eileen was captured by the Gestapo, enduring torture and life in a concentration camp for political prisoners where many of her companions did not make it out alive.
Since neither of these women or the other female spies who served with them were in units that were considered "military", their contributions to the war effort were discounted and their awards diminished, proving that no good deed goes unpunished. Still, Jacqueline and Eileen both went on to satisfying positions in their personal lives.
It makes for an interesting and moving read.
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