Eileen Nearne

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Eileen Nearne was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. She served in occupied France as a radio operator under the codename 'Rose'.

[edit] Wizard

The Wizard network was run by an Frenchman called Jean William Savy. He was a commander in the French army. Savy was born 4 April 1906. He was a good friend of Lise De Baissac ("artist") and through her, France Antelme ("bricklayer"). He was recruited by the SOE and interviewed by Colonel Buckmaster.

J.W. Savy became known as Jean Millet.

The main brief by the SOE was to form an organisation for the furnishing of safe houses for the reception of teams of British officers after D-Day.

Jean Savy worked undercover as a solicitor in Paris and rented an office from M. Gieules ("Marcellin"). The Gestapo was aware of this. One night in a brave act of courage, Mr. Gieules raced from his office to the Métro station where Jean Savy was about to descend and informed him that the Gestapo was waiting for him.

On the 19th/20th July 1943 Jean Savy, the hunted 'Wizard' and his friend Antelme the now hunted 'Bricklayer' were ex-filtrated from France by Lysander operation near Tour. Meanwhile M. Gieules had been arrested and deported to DORA, a concentration camp.

[edit] Operation Mitchel

After the arrest of Madeleine Damerment, France Antelme and Lionel Lee in February 1944, Jean Savy vounteered to return to France. On 2 March 1944 he arrived near Châteauroux and was received by 'Greyhound'. Jean Savy was accompanied by Jacqueline Nearne's sister (Rose) as his wireless operator. Jean Savy was on a particularly dangerous mission. He was to form a large and wide spread organisation, the establishment and arrangement for the reception and utilisation of uniformed teams to be sent into France by parachute on and after D-Day.

Jean Savy was a prominent figure in French legal circles and very well known, in addition he suffered from a badly disfigured arm, which rendered him conspicuous. In spite of this and with the knowledge that he was posted as wanted by the Gestapo, he displayed a complete disregard of personal danger and travelled extensively in order to visit a large number of contacts and leaders-themselves marked men-in order to make sure of the sound foundation of his plans.

Antelme's arrest disrupted his plans for pursuing supply and financial contacts; seeking to make himself useful, he stumbled accidentally on a piece of intelligence so important that he left Paris, Miss Nearne and a second operator and returned to England. (The two operators attached themselves to 'Spiritualist').

Jean Savy's information was about a large secret ammunition dump in stone quarries at Saint Leu d'Esserent. He had discovered precise details of its siting and, more important of its content: 2000 V1 rockets, ready to fire.