World War Two secret courier Nicola Trahan dies aged 97

Nicola Pauline Marie Trahan has died at the age of 97

One of the few remaining female members of a secret World War Two army has died aged 97.

Nicola Pauline Marie Trahan was only a schoolgirl when she worked behind enemy lines with the French Resistance during a critical period of the war.

After World War Two she was highly decorated by the French government for her brave contribution.

Friends from later life described Ms Trahan as "humble" and "a dark horse".

Born in Pas de Calais in France in 1926, she was the daughter of Jeanne Marie Laure Bourzes and André Jean Emile Trahan.

Ms Trahan was told by her resistance leaders that if she was ever caught she should say she was cycling to visit an ill relative

In spite of the fact that Ms Trahan said she was given parachute training, was code named Teddy and was dropped into France on a number of occasions as a courier no records currently exist which corroborate Ms Trahan's account of being recruited, trained and working directly for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) - a secret group established in 1940 with the purpose of conducting espionage, sabotage, and other covert operations behind enemy lines.

Nicola Trahan rendered services to the FFI "at peril to her own life"

But Nicola Trahan's French military record, held at the French military archives at Vincennes, say that, while still a 16-year-old schoolgirl in Valençay in the Indre department of Centre-Val de Loire, she was part of the Forces françaises de l'Intérieur (French Forces of the Interior, FFI), the resistance organisation run by the Gaullist French authorities in London.

Charles de Gaulle, the free French leader, referred to the official resistance force as the Armée Secrète.

The North Indre Maquis Ms Trahan joined was run by Francis Perdriset, a former French Army officer.

Perdiset subsequently recommended that she receive one of the French government's top honours, the Croix de Guerre, which he personally signed.

He said Nicola carried out "numerous dangerous missions...which she gathered at the heart of enemy operations" and despite a heavy German presence "provided regular twice-daily liaison between two command posts".

In July 1944, Perdriset began working alongside the Special Operations Executive unit 'Wrestler' run by SOE agent Pearl Witherington, following the arrest of her circuit leader.

It is during this time that Ms Trahan may have worked more closely with SOE agents.

Salisbury Plain Benefice Rector Eleanor Rance, who met Ms Trahan at church in later life, shared more about her description of operations.

"She was given things to take, messages to take and sometime she took a suitcase of what she believed was money," she said.

"All of the work that was being undertaken by the networks in France was to disrupt the German occupation but to also disrupt their advance up to the north of the country."

Nicola Trahan received many awards during her life, including the Croix de Guerre

Friend and churchwarden of St Mary's Orcheston, Richard Essberger, said Ms Trahan was "arguably part of one of the biggest influences on the Allies keeping their hold on the Normandy beaches".

"[She had a] humanity, humbleness, vast generosity, absolute toughness but also a real sense of humour for one who appeared so serious," he said.

Ms Trahan eventually settled in Wiltshire

In 1989, she was awarded an MBE for dedicating 50 years to the Soldiers Sailors and Airmen's Families Association as a midwife and volunteer helping serving personnel and veterans.

Ms Trahan eventually settled in Wiltshire and volunteered at her local church and at Salisbury Cathedral, where she spent almost 28 years working in the gift shop every Friday.

'Very strong character'

Shop manager Helen Russell described her as a "bit of a dark horse".

"She was a great character. Very dry sense of humour, very no-nonsense, crack on with it sort of person," she said.

"I'm not at all surprised that she did so many great things. She was a very strong character," Ms Russell added.

Ms Trahan's life will be celebrated at a memorial service on 14 March at 14:00 GMT at St Mary's Church in Orcheston.

Amendment - 23 February 2024: This story has been significantly amended to include further detail about Ms Trahan's work with the French Resistance. Nicola Trahan's file in the French military archives at Vincennes is the only known official documentation of her wartime service. There is no known mention of her in the extensive files of the SOE French section agents, operations, selection or training records held at the UK National Archives at Kew.