Valençay SOE Memorial

The SOE memorial in Valençay on the 20th anniversary of its unveiling

The Valençay SOE Memorial is a monument in France to the members of the Special Operations Executive F Section[1] who died working to liberate the country during World War II.

The memorial was unveiled in the town of Valençay, in the department of Indre, on May 6, 1991, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the despatch of F Section's first agent to France.

Former SOE agents Pearl Witherington Cornioley and her husband Henri, who lived nearby, promoted the establishment of the memorial. Witherington had worked in the area as a SOE agent during World war II.[2] The monument was designed by Elizabeth Lucas Harrison, herself a former Resistance member, who originally gave it the name "Spirit of Partnership".[3]

Dedicated by the Minister of Veterans Affairs for France and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the memorial's Roll of Honour lists the names of the 91 men and 13 women members of the SOE who gave their lives for France's freedom.[citation needed]

Valençay Memorial Roll of Honour

(from website: SOE and Valençay Monument[4][5])

References

Citations

  1. ^ Foot, M.R.D SOE in France
  2. ^ SOE agent profile of Pearl Witherington, nigelperrin.com; accessed 4 September 2017.
  3. ^ Harrison's website
  4. ^ Larroque, Herve (2013). "SOE and Valençay Monument: Roll of Honour". SOE action in France. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  5. ^ Grehan, J. and Mace, M. (2012)

Bibliography

  1. Foot, M.R.D. (2004) SOE in France, Whitehall history publishing, ISSN 1474-8398
  2. Grehan, J. and Mace, M. (2012) Unearthing Churchill’s Secret Army: The Official List of SOE Casualties and Their Stories, Pen and Sword, ISBN 978-1848847941


47°10′2″N 1°33′25″E / 47.16722°N 1.55694°E / 47.16722; 1.55694