Maureen Patricia O'Sullivan (3 January 1918 – 5 March 1994) was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II and worked as a wireless operator for the French Section.
Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1918, the daughter of John Aloysius O'Sullivan (1873–1949), an Irish journalist and a German mother, Johanna Repen (1889–1919), who died when Paddy was only 15 months old, she began her schooling at St Louis Convent in Dublin. At the age of seven she was sent to live with an aunt in Belgium. There she attended convent school in Coutrai and then the Athenée Royale in Ostend.
At the beginning of the war she was a nurse working at Highgate Hospital in London. She joined the WAAF on 7 July 1941, as an Aircraft Handler General Duties, and was later promoted to Section officer.
After being recruited by the SOE due to her French language fluency, and becoming a fully fledged wireless operator, Paddy was dropped to the FIREMAN circuit (network) near Limoges few weeks after Eileen Nearne's arrival on March 22/23 March 1944.[1] The weather was extremely foggy and the pilot suggested that they return to England, but Paddy was determined and she jumped. Landing heavily, she was temporarily concussed, but always said her life was saved by the 2 million francs strapped to her back. Paddy's alias was Micheline Marcelle Simonet and her cover story was that she was a 'dame de compagnie' of a doctor in Paris, where she helped the doctor in the surgery as well as with his children; she was taking one month's leave to look for a lost Belgian parent in the Creuse area.
Following successful work with the FIREMAN circuit, Paddy returned to England on 5 October 1944. After her cover was blown in June 1945 she was posted to Force 136 in Calcutta as a liaison officer to work with the French.
She settled in England and went on to marry Eric Alvey, a chartered accountant, and lived near Ilkley, West Yorkshire; the couple had two sons, John and Robin.
Referencesedit
^Vigurs, Kate (2021). Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE (First ed.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 121. ISBN978-0-300-20857-3.
"The mystery of Ireland's lethally seductive spy", independent.ie, 21 March 2002
April 14, 2024
paddy, sullivan, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Paddy O Sullivan news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Maureen Patricia O Sullivan 3 January 1918 5 March 1994 was a member of the Special Operations Executive SOE during World War II and worked as a wireless operator for the French Section Paddy O SullivanNickname s Agent Fireman Micheline Marcelle Simonet JosetteBorn 1918 01 03 3 January 1918Dublin IrelandDied5 March 1994 1994 03 05 aged 76 AllegianceUnited Kingdom FranceService wbr branchWomen s Auxiliary Air Force Special Operations ExecutiveYears of service1941 1945 WAAF 1942 43 1945 SOE RankSection officerUnitFiremanAwardsCroix de Guerre MBEBorn in Dublin Ireland in 1918 the daughter of John Aloysius O Sullivan 1873 1949 an Irish journalist and a German mother Johanna Repen 1889 1919 who died when Paddy was only 15 months old she began her schooling at St Louis Convent in Dublin At the age of seven she was sent to live with an aunt in Belgium There she attended convent school in Coutrai and then the Athenee Royale in Ostend At the beginning of the war she was a nurse working at Highgate Hospital in London She joined the WAAF on 7 July 1941 as an Aircraft Handler General Duties and was later promoted to Section officer After being recruited by the SOE due to her French language fluency and becoming a fully fledged wireless operator Paddy was dropped to the FIREMAN circuit network near Limoges few weeks after Eileen Nearne s arrival on March 22 23 March 1944 1 The weather was extremely foggy and the pilot suggested that they return to England but Paddy was determined and she jumped Landing heavily she was temporarily concussed but always said her life was saved by the 2 million francs strapped to her back Paddy s alias was Micheline Marcelle Simonet and her cover story was that she was a dame de compagnie of a doctor in Paris where she helped the doctor in the surgery as well as with his children she was taking one month s leave to look for a lost Belgian parent in the Creuse area Following successful work with the FIREMAN circuit Paddy returned to England on 5 October 1944 After her cover was blown in June 1945 she was posted to Force 136 in Calcutta as a liaison officer to work with the French Honours and awards editShe was awarded the MBE Civil which was gazetted on 4 September 1945 she was also awarded the Croix de guerre 1939 1945 France nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Member of the Order of the British Empire Civil 1939 1945 StarFrance and Germany Star Defence Medal War Medal Croix de Guerre France Family editShe settled in England and went on to marry Eric Alvey a chartered accountant and lived near Ilkley West Yorkshire the couple had two sons John and Robin References edit Vigurs Kate 2021 Mission France The True History of the Women of SOE First ed New Haven and London Yale University Press p 121 ISBN 978 0 300 20857 3 The mystery of Ireland s lethally seductive spy independent ie 21 March 2002 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Paddy O 27Sullivan amp oldid 1150846779, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
