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Nancy Wake

Birth and Nationality

Nancy Wake was born in Roseneath, Wellington in New Zealand on August 30, 1912 to Charles Augustus Wake and Ella Wake whom had six children. �The family went to Australia and settled there in 1914.

Education and Early Life

In Australia, Nancy Wake attended North Sydney Household Arts School. At a young age and with only �200 in her pocket, she explored New York and Europe where she honed her skill as journalist. �In 1930’s, she went to Paris and served as European correspondent in Hearst newspapers. There, she witnessed the rise of Adolf Hitler and the wrath of the Nazis.

Spouse and Children

In 1937, Nancy Wake met the wealthy industrialist Henri Fiocca and two years later, she married the French man. The couple did not have children.

Career as British Agent

In 1940, she joined the French Resistance and helped British airmen to escape back to Britain. �When the group was betrayed, Nancy Wake went to hiding but still continued her mission, until she was arrested in Toulouse, only to be released four days after. After her husband was arrested and killed, she joined Special Operations Executive as a British special agent. She joined Intelligence Department at the British Air Ministry after the war.

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She went back to Australia and ran as a Liberal candidate but lost. When she went back to London, she re-married a RAF bomber pilot named John Forward.