BBC - Radio 4 - Woman's Hour -Violette Szabo

Memorial picnic

In May, Woman’s Hour heard from composer Louise Denny, who’d written a musical tribute to one of the bravest heroines of the Second World War.

Violette Szabo’s remarkable but short life was immortalised in the Virginia McKenna film "Carve her Name with Pride", which tells how the young (and beautiful) war widow became a secret agent for the British, working undercover to help the French resistance. She was captured three days after D-Day, and was taken to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp where she was tortured and executed. She was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her bravery.

Violette spent many summers at a cottage in Herefordshire, where 6 years ago, present owner Rosemary Rigby opened a museum dedicated to her life and memory. On Sunday, hundreds of guests gathered there for a special memorial picnic to celebrate what would have been her 84th birthday. Louise Denny performed her tribute on that most French musical instrument.

The poem read in the item is "The Life That I Have" by Leo Marks, who was in charge of Violette and all the SUE secret agents. It was used as a code by Violette.

Woman's Hour: Louise Denny, 5 May 2005

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