- Vera Atkins
Infobox Person
name = Vera Maria Atkins
image_size = 165px
caption = Vera Atkins
birth_date = birth date|1908|6|16|mf=y
birth_place =Bucharest ,Romania
death_date = death date and age|2000|6|24|1908|6|16|mf=y
death_place =Hastings ,England
occupation = Intelligence Officer
spouse =Vera Atkins, CBE (
June 16 ,1908 Bucharest ,Romania -June 24 ,2000 Hastings, England) was a British Intelligence Officer duringWorld War II .Early life
She was born Vera Maria Rosenberg to a
Jewish family inBucharest ,Romania , on02 June 1908 . Her family emigrated toEngland in 1933, but after a couple of years, they moved toFrance . She enrolled at the Sorbonne inParis to study modern languages before attending finishing school atLausanne . The surname 'Atkins' was herSouth African mother's maiden name, which she adopted as her own. She was a cousin ofRudolf Vrba . [Stevenson, William. "Spymistress: The Life of Vera Atkins, the Greatest Female Secret Agent of World War II", Arcade Publishing, 2007, p. 3. ISBN 1559707631]World War II
In May 1940, Atkins returned to
England , and in February 1941, she joined the French section of theSpecial Operations Executive (SOE). She remained a civilian until August 1944, when she was commissioned asquadron leader in theWomen's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She was officially the section's intelligence officer while serving as assistant to section headMaurice Buckmaster .After World War II
When the allied victory in
Europe was accomplished, she went toGermany . Her self-appointed mission was to investigate the fate of the 118 F section agents who had disappeared in enemy territory. She succeeded in every case except one.In 1987, Atkins was appointed Commandeur of the
Légion d'Honneur . She retired toWinchelsea ,Sussex and died in a nursing home inHastings onJune 24 ,2000 , aged 92.Her gravestone is in Zennor churchyard in Cornwall, with the name Vera May Atkins, Legion D'Honneur Croix de Guerre.
"Into The Dark"
Recorded interviews with Vera Atkins are used in "Into the Dark", a short film directed by Genevieve Simms.
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