The WAAF Agents — Yvonne Baseden Page 1

image-Female Silhouette M.B.E., Croix de Guerre

Codename(s): Odette

Born in Paris with a British father and a French mother, Yvonne Baseden joined the W.A.A.F. on 4 September 1940 and transferred to S.O.E. on 24 May 1943. After completing her training she was dropped into France as a wireless operator on 19 March 1944. She was dropped in the south-west of France and had to make her way, with her equipment, right across to the Jura in the east.

She worked there for four months, in constant communication with London. This included one day-light dropping of supplies which required her to stay and transmit from the dropping zone for a period of 48 hours. This resulted in the successful delivery of 400 containers, but three days later, on 26 June 1944, the house where she was working was surrounded by the Gestapo and she was arrested. After local questioning, she was taken to Dijon.

She remained there in solitary confinement until about 25 August 1944, when she was transferred to Saarbrück for ten days and then on to Ravensbück. Towards the end of February 1945 she fell ill enough to be put in the camp hospital from where she was rescued on 25 April 1945 by the Swedish Red Cross.