The Memorials to the Women of the S.O.E.— Valençay, France

The memorial at Valençay in France was unveiled on 6th May 1991 on the 50th anniversary of the first F Section agent sent in to France, the wireless operator Georges Bégué parachuted in on the night of 5-6 May 1941.

Unveiled, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, by Monsieur André Méric, Secretary of State for Veteran Affairs the memorial was designed by Elizabeth Lucas and entitled "Spirit of Partnership".

Two columns - one black for night, one white for the shining spirit of resistance - enclosing the Moon at the top which represents the conditions under which the SOE and the Resistance operated and agents/logistics dropped, landed or picked up. At the base of the monument floodlights are laid out in the L-shaped pattern used to signal the landing path for Lysander and Hudson pilots who landed their aircraft by moonlight on the fields of France.

Hervé Larroque has a very informative site dedicated to the Valençay memorial and it may be viewed in French or English.

Images Copyright © Martyn Cox 2001

Should you visit the memorial at Valençay then also take the time to visit The Château de Valençay, one of the finest Renaissance monuments in France. Valençay was purchased by the Prince de Talleyrand in 1803, with the financial assistance of Napoleon.

During World War II, Valençay was not occupied by German forces, since the then Duc de Valençay was also Prince of Sagan, a neutral principality in Eastern Europe. Thanks to this quirk of fortune the Château provided a refuge for some of the Louvre's priceless artworks, such as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory.

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