Berthe Fraser (née Vicogne; 1894–1956) was a

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

agent who fought the Germans and helped more than 100 allied airmen escape during 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 spent two years of the war in prison, in one case being tortured for 28 days. She was awaiting execution by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

in September 1944 but was saved by Allied soldiers who drove away her captors. As a result of her actions and "acts of great bravery", she was awarded medals from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Fraser married a British soldier in 1919 after he served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. They settled in

Arras, France Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the A ...

Second World War

The start of the war saw Fraser running a perfume shop in Arras. She and her husband stayed in France when the Germans invaded in May 1940. Since he was British, he was interned soon after the invasion. Fraser soon created her own underground network to smuggle out British and other allied airmen who had been shot down. The

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

, otherwise known as the SOE, was the British organisation that was tasked to conduct espionage,

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

and

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

in occupied Europe. With the success of her network, Fraser was approached by SOE agents for help. Continuing her role in smuggling airmen to safety, she also helped agents move about in Northern France. In addition, she stored explosives and weapons for the resistance, helped provide intelligence on German positions and movements, and carried messages. She was noted for doing any task that was asked of her. She was arrested in 1941 and sent to prison in Belgium. During her interrogation, she started providing misleading information that seemed true enough that the Gestapo had to check out the details. In December 1942, after 15 months, she was released as she was considered a "burden on resources". She quickly resumed her previous activities. She helped

F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas, (17 June 1902 – 26 February 1964), known as "Tommy", was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in the Second World War. Codenamed "Seahorse" and "Shelley" in the SOE, Yeo-Thomas ...

, celebrated agent of the SOE, escape by hiding him in a hearse during a mock funeral to evade detection. Flowers around the coffin covered Yeo-Thomas as he was taken to an empty field that was large enough to land a plane to pick him up. The local

undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as w ...

provided flowers and steaks to add to the illusion that a funeral was happening. Armed farmers and resistance fighters, their protection arranged by Fraser, guarded the field. Before Yeo-Thomas left, he was provided with wine, cheese, and other products they feared were not available in Britain. The resistance, in return, asked for weapons, and other items that they could use for their operations. Yeo-Thomas was carrying details of the V1 and V2 rocket program with him. Fraser was captured again in February 1944, after being betrayed by a British agent. She was tortured for 28 days and locked in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

for six months. The Gestapo wanted her to provide details about her activities and other members of the resistance. By May 1944 she had been sentenced to be executed, but was saved by Allied soldiers who freed her from the prison.

After the war

Fraser was awarded seven medals from several allied countries after the war. In 1990, the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

purchased her medals for $28,500. Fraser died in 1956. She never fully recovered from her month-long torture.

Medals

* Medal of Freedom — United States * Legion d'Honneur — France *

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...

— United Kingdom

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Berthe 1894 births 1956 deaths French Resistance members Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Resistance Medal Recipients of the George Medal