VIOLETTE SZABO MUSEUM, HEREFORDSHIRE

Early day motion 864, tabled 19 June 2000 by Paul Keetch (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 93 members.

That this House recalls with gratitude the life of Violette Szabo, who spent part of her childhood in Herefordshire; notes that her husband Etienne died at El Alamein fighting for the Free French Foreign Legion and never saw his daughter Tania, after which Violette joined the Special Operations Executive; recalls her flight to France, 24 hours after D Day, to pass messages to the Maquis; further recalls that she was captured by German troops despite giving fierce resistance, and was tortured and shot by the Gestapo at Ravensbruck Prison in January 1945; is proud that this young woman became the first woman to be awarded the George Cross posthumously and then the Croix de Guerre with Clasps; congratulates Miss Rosemary Rigby MBE who now lives at Cartref in Wormelow, where Violette stayed between missions, for establishing the Violette Szabo Museum; looks forward to the opening of the museum on 24th June, by Miss Virginia McKenna who played Violette in the film, Carve her Name with Pride; and salutes all those men and women of SOE and other special forces for the part they played in defeating Nazism in Europe.

Signatures by party: Labour 46, Liberal Democrat 27, Conservative 11, Labour/Co-operative 3, Scottish National Party 2, UUP 2, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1.