Yvonne Cormeau was born in Shanghai and her birth name was Beatrice Yvonne Biesterfield. She was born to Belgian Consular Official and a Scottish mother. She was educated in both Belgium and Scotland. In 1937 Yvonne married an accountant Charles Edouard Cormeau, who was killed in 1940 when their London home was bombed.
Yvonne now a widow and with a daughter Yvette joined the WAAF as an administrator- she later joined the French Section of the Special Operations Executive.
She was described as being very intelligent and resourceful and a capable Agent and was trained as a wireless operator and a courier.
Yvonne was given a powder compact by Maurice Buckmaster (He always gave Agents a lucky gift before they went on a mission.)
Cormeau was sent to France - her job was wireless operator and courier for the Wheelwright network in Gascony.
Here - Yvonne sent over 400 messages to London (A record for F Section)
She arranged Arms Drops and supplies for Maquis Groups and also assisted in the..cutting of power and telephone lines which caused both isolation and disruption for the German Garrison Nr:Toulouse.
Famous Event: Yvonne was stopped at a German road block and questioned with a gun in her back and convinced the Germans her I.D was for a District Nurse and her radio..was an X-ray machine.
Yvonne worked for 13 months in enemy territory and she had some very narrow escapes.
After the war Yvonne worked as a translator for the Foriegn Office and she was re-united with her daughter Yvette and they lived in London and became a British citizen and promoted Anglo-French relations.
AWARDS:
MBE (British Government) Legion d'honneur. Croix de Guerre.
Medaille Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance.
He dress with bullet hole and a blood stained briefcase are exhibited with her WAAF Officers Uniform at the Imperial War Museum in London. More information can be found in the book: Moondrop To Gascony by Anne Marie Walters, who worked as the circuits courier.
In later years Yvonne married James Edgar Farrow, who pre-deceased her, they lived in Derbyshire. Her later years were spent at the Tall Pines Nursing Home, Fleet, Hampshire.
Yvonne now a widow and with a daughter Yvette joined the WAAF as an administrator- she later joined the French Section of the Special Operations Executive.
She was described as being very intelligent and resourceful and a capable Agent and was trained as a wireless operator and a courier.
Yvonne was given a powder compact by Maurice Buckmaster (He always gave Agents a lucky gift before they went on a mission.)
Cormeau was sent to France - her job was wireless operator and courier for the Wheelwright network in Gascony.
Here - Yvonne sent over 400 messages to London (A record for F Section)
She arranged Arms Drops and supplies for Maquis Groups and also assisted in the..cutting of power and telephone lines which caused both isolation and disruption for the German Garrison Nr:Toulouse.
Famous Event: Yvonne was stopped at a German road block and questioned with a gun in her back and convinced the Germans her I.D was for a District Nurse and her radio..was an X-ray machine.
Yvonne worked for 13 months in enemy territory and she had some very narrow escapes.
After the war Yvonne worked as a translator for the Foriegn Office and she was re-united with her daughter Yvette and they lived in London and became a British citizen and promoted Anglo-French relations.
AWARDS:
MBE (British Government) Legion d'honneur. Croix de Guerre.
Medaille Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance.
He dress with bullet hole and a blood stained briefcase are exhibited with her WAAF Officers Uniform at the Imperial War Museum in London. More information can be found in the book: Moondrop To Gascony by Anne Marie Walters, who worked as the circuits courier.
In later years Yvonne married James Edgar Farrow, who pre-deceased her, they lived in Derbyshire. Her later years were spent at the Tall Pines Nursing Home, Fleet, Hampshire.
Yvonne Cormeau was born in Shanghai and her birth name was Beatrice Yvonne Biesterfield. She was born to Belgian Consular Official and a Scottish mother. She was educated in both Belgium and Scotland. In 1937 Yvonne married an accountant Charles Edouard Cormeau, who was killed in 1940 when their London home was bombed.
Yvonne now a widow and with a daughter Yvette joined the WAAF as an administrator- she later joined the French Section of the Special Operations Executive.
She was described as being very intelligent and resourceful and a capable Agent and was trained as a wireless operator and a courier.
Yvonne was given a powder compact by Maurice Buckmaster (He always gave Agents a lucky gift before they went on a mission.)
Cormeau was sent to France - her job was wireless operator and courier for the Wheelwright network in Gascony.
Here - Yvonne sent over 400 messages to London (A record for F Section)
She arranged Arms Drops and supplies for Maquis Groups and also assisted in the..cutting of power and telephone lines which caused both isolation and disruption for the German Garrison Nr:Toulouse.
Famous Event: Yvonne was stopped at a German road block and questioned with a gun in her back and convinced the Germans her I.D was for a District Nurse and her radio..was an X-ray machine.
Yvonne worked for 13 months in enemy territory and she had some very narrow escapes.
After the war Yvonne worked as a translator for the Foriegn Office and she was re-united with her daughter Yvette and they lived in London and became a British citizen and promoted Anglo-French relations.
AWARDS:
MBE (British Government) Legion d'honneur. Croix de Guerre.
Medaille Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance.
He dress with bullet hole and a blood stained briefcase are exhibited with her WAAF Officers Uniform at the Imperial War Museum in London. More information can be found in the book: Moondrop To Gascony by Anne Marie Walters, who worked as the circuits courier.
In later years Yvonne married James Edgar Farrow, who pre-deceased her, they lived in Derbyshire. Her later years were spent at the Tall Pines Nursing Home, Fleet, Hampshire.
Yvonne now a widow and with a daughter Yvette joined the WAAF as an administrator- she later joined the French Section of the Special Operations Executive.
She was described as being very intelligent and resourceful and a capable Agent and was trained as a wireless operator and a courier.
Yvonne was given a powder compact by Maurice Buckmaster (He always gave Agents a lucky gift before they went on a mission.)
Cormeau was sent to France - her job was wireless operator and courier for the Wheelwright network in Gascony.
Here - Yvonne sent over 400 messages to London (A record for F Section)
She arranged Arms Drops and supplies for Maquis Groups and also assisted in the..cutting of power and telephone lines which caused both isolation and disruption for the German Garrison Nr:Toulouse.
Famous Event: Yvonne was stopped at a German road block and questioned with a gun in her back and convinced the Germans her I.D was for a District Nurse and her radio..was an X-ray machine.
Yvonne worked for 13 months in enemy territory and she had some very narrow escapes.
After the war Yvonne worked as a translator for the Foriegn Office and she was re-united with her daughter Yvette and they lived in London and became a British citizen and promoted Anglo-French relations.
AWARDS:
MBE (British Government) Legion d'honneur. Croix de Guerre.
Medaille Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance.
He dress with bullet hole and a blood stained briefcase are exhibited with her WAAF Officers Uniform at the Imperial War Museum in London. More information can be found in the book: Moondrop To Gascony by Anne Marie Walters, who worked as the circuits courier.
In later years Yvonne married James Edgar Farrow, who pre-deceased her, they lived in Derbyshire. Her later years were spent at the Tall Pines Nursing Home, Fleet, Hampshire.
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