Wish Me Luck

The technical advisor for this series was Yvonne Cormeau (1909-1997.) She was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) F (for France) Section. Her code name was Annette and she was the wireless operator (pianist) for the Wheelwright Network that was lead by George Starr. The life expectancy for a radio operator in Occupied Europe was around six weeks. Her accuracy and speed on the Morse key were legendary. She was praised by master cryptographer Leo Marks for her skills. In over 400 transmissions, she never made one single mistake. She was one of the fastest senders in the SOE and averaged 18-22 words a minute. Most operators could only send 12 words a minute. In 1941, she was recently widowed with a young daughter. She and her husband were in their home when it was hit in a bombing raid. She was protected when a bath tub flipped on top of her. Her husband was killed. She did lose the baby she was pregnant with. Seeking revenge on some level, she enlisted in the WAAF, Women's Auxiliary Air Force. In a combat area where the life expectancy of a radio operator was six weeks, Yvonne Cormeau survived for thirteen months. She was parachuted into France on the night of August 22, 1943. She was offered a cyanide pill in the event of capture but declined to take one with her. She was armed with a .22 caliber revolver but on the advice of her circuit leader, she didn't carry it. If she got stopped and searched and they found a cyanide pill and a pistol it would be a certain death sentence for her. Depending on the radio system she carried, she would be carrying a device weighing anywhere for eight pounds to 31 pounds. For her own safety, she had to limit her radio transmissions to less then 20 minutes. She would stay in one location no longer then three nights and would often bicycle over 31 miles to get to a safe spot to transmit her signals. Only one agent sent more messages than her, another woman agent named Auguste Floiras. She was nearly captured in June 1944. But she managed to escape, with her radio, despite getting shot in the leg. Her blood stained dress and the briefcase that house her radio are on permanent display at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England.. She was relived from her duties after the liberation of Paris having been on the ground from August 1943-September 1944. She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), Legion d'honneur, Croix de Guerre, Medaille de la Resistance, the Defence Medal and the 1939-1945 Star. She completed her SOE training with two other women, Yolande Beekman and Noor Inayat Khan. She would be the only one of her class to survive the war.

Featured in Drama Trails: 'Cold Feet' to 'A Touch of Frost' (2008)