GEORGE CROSS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24960, 22 August 1946, Page 5

GEORGE CROSS

HEROIC BRITISH WOMAN

LONDON, August 20. A citation in the London Gazette tells the story of one of the war’s greatest heroines, who now lives in Kensington. The mother of three children, she has been awarded the George Cross to add to the M.8.E., which was awarded to her last year. She is Mrs Odette Marie Celina Samson, who, after she and others had parachuted into enemy-occupied France for a special mission, refused to betray her comrades, in spite of most brutal Nazi torture.

The citation states: ‘The Gestapo after Mrs Samson was captured, tried to make her disclose her comrades' whereabouts, especially those of a radio operator and another British officer, who were of the greatest value to the resistance movement. Members of the Gestapo seared her back with red hot irons and pulled out all her nails, but Mrs Samson continued to refuse to speak throughout at least 14 interrogations, thus not only saving her comrades’ lives, but also enabling them to continue their work for resistance. She also drew attention to herself away from the commanding officer by saying that he was her husband and that he only came to France because she insisted. Mrs Samson, during two years of captivity, displayed courage, endurance, and selfsacrifice of the highest order.” Mrs Samson was made an M.B.E. last October for her services to France during the occupation. She was sent to hospital many times after her repatriation last year.

A friend described her as slim, petite, and attractive, and always immaculately dressed.

When recently she bought a parachute to make it into clothes, she looked wistfully at it and remarked: “I jumped many times with one of these.”