The World Says Goodbye To Agent Rose
The funeral of a French resistance heroine who saved more than 100 lives and survived a Nazi death squad has taken place.
Known as Agent Rose, Andree Peel helped dozens of British and US pilots escape from occupied Europe.
Mrs Peel, who lived in Long Ashton near Bristol, was awarded a second Legion d’Honneur in 2009 to mark her bravery.
She died this month at the age of 105. Her funeral was held at All Saints Church in Long Ashton.
Born Andree Virot, the former beauty salon owner from Brittany began her involvement with the resistance modestly by handing out underground newspapers.
Later she tracked troop movements and went on to head an under-section of the resistance.
Her network allowed Allied pilots to escape German captivity, hiding them and – where possible – smuggling them away from France in submarines and on small boats.
She was being lined up to be shot by a firing squad at the Buchenwald concentration camp when the US Army arrived to liberate the prisoners.
After the war Mrs Peel received a personal letter from Winston Churchill congratulating her on her work and she also received the Croix de Guerre and the American Medal of Freedom.
She moved to Britain after she met her husband John Peel, who died some years ago.
‘Selfless bravery’
In recent years Mrs Peel had formed a partnership with Brian Westaway, a fellow resident at care home Lampton House.
Commenting on her death, Dr Liam Fox, MP for Woodspring, said: “Mrs Peel was an iconic figure who showed phenomenal courage in the most difficult circumstances.
“Her selfless bravery saved many lives and she stands as a monument to the triumph of the human spirit, which will set an example for many generations to come.”
Mrs Peel had recounted her wartime experiences in her autobiography Miracles Do Happen, which was published in 1999.
Funeral held for WWII heroine Andree Peel (BBC)
