Olivia Jordan (née Matthews; 28 January 1919 – 19 August 2021) was an ambulance driver in France at the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was the driver and interpreter of

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

in London from 1940 to 1943.

Personal life

Olivia Matthews was born 28 January 1919 in Bushey, Hertfordshire and grew up in Kent. She was the fourth daughter of Christabel (born Stogdon) and Trevor Matthews, the chairman of Grindlays Bank. She was educated at boarding school at

Downe House School Downe House School is a selective independent girls' day and boarding school in Cold Ash, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, for girls aged 11–18. The ''Good Schools Guide'' described Downe House as an "Archetypal traditional girls' full bo ...

, Berkshire and with a French governess. In 1937 she attended a finishing school in Germany and saw

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in a tearoom during a visit to Munich, before he came to international significance. Her education resulted in her being fluent in English, French and German. In 1943 she married Peter Jordan, an architect. She then ceased working. They had two children and divorced after 25 years. She was a keen horse rider into her 90s. In her later years Jordan lived in the Elmbridge Retirement Village in Cranleigh, Sussex. She died 19 August 2021, at the age of 102.

Work during Second World War

Eager to become involved, she travelled to France in January 1940. With help from General Pierre Héring, the military governor of Paris, who was the father of one of her friends, she joined the Sections Sanitaires Automobiles Féminines. This was a medical unit within the French army. It was managed by the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. After minimal training in driving and nursing, she was sent north towards the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

, as the German army advanced rapidly. Under the banner of the Red Cross, the medical unit treated both German and Allied troops. In June 1940, she was ordered south in a convoy that came under German attack outside

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

in central France. After the armistice, she traveled alone further south seeking to return to Great Britain. During this journey she was given papers to take to

. She finally boarded a

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

with Polish troops, after initially being denied passage on the last British ship to leave Saint-Jean-de-Luz because they were reluctant to take a woman on board. She delivered the papers to de Gaulle and her linguistic skills led to her becoming his driver and interpreter at the headquarters of the Free France government-in-exile in Carlton Gardens in London. She continued in this role until 1943, including during the London Blitz and was in the

Café de Paris Café de Paris may refer to: Establishments *Café de Paris (London), a London nightclub * Café de Paris, Chicago, a Chicago nightclub * Café de Paris (restaurant), Geneva * Café de Paris (Rome), a bar in Rome, Italy * Café de Paris (Cubzac-les ...

on 8 March 1941 when it was bombed, resulting in damage to her hearing. She used her father's Wolseley car until an official vehicle was assigned.

Awards

In June 1941 she was presented with the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

for her courage and endurance by General Maxime Weygand. In 1993, she was invited to the inauguration of a statue of

in Carlton Gardens. Jordan was one of those included in ''Army Girls'' by

Tessa Dunlop Dr Tessa Dunlop is a historian, writer and broadcaster. She has written several best selling oral history books and presented history programmes for the BBC, Discovery Channel Europe, Channel 4, UKTV History and the History Channel (US). She li ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Olivia 1919 births 2021 deaths People from Bushey British centenarians Women centenarians Female recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) British women in World War II 20th-century British people