Muriel Byck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Muriel Byck | |
|---|---|
| June 4, 1918 – May 23, 1944 | |
| Nickname | Michéle, Violette |
| Place of birth | Ealing, London |
| Place of death | Romorantin Hospital, France |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom, France |
| Service/branch | Special Operations Executive, French Resistance |
| Years of service | 1942-1944 |
| Rank | Field agent and guerrilla commander |
| Commands held | Ventriloquist |
| Awards | Mentioned in Dispatches |
Muriel Tamara Byck (June 4, 1918, Ealing, London – May 23, 1944, Romorantin, France) was a heroine of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War.
Contents |
[edit] Early Life
Muriel Byck was the daughter of French Jews Luba Besia (née Golinska) and Jacques Byck, who had both taken British nationality. She was born in London.
[edit] WAAF & SOE Mission
Muriel joined the WAAF in December 1942 as a General Duties clerk (Service number 2071428[1]) working in the records office, later being promoted to the rank of Section Officer. As she spoke excellent French, she was recuited into the SOE in July 1943. She began initial training in September 1943 at Winterfold, Cranleigh, in Surrey. From here she proceeded to para-military training at Meoble Lodge, Morar, Invernesshire until October and wireless operator training at Thame Park, Oxfordshire in November and December 1943. She was chosen by Major Philippe de Vomécourt to be his assistant.
After three aborted attempts to fly from Tempsford airfied, Muriel parachuted into France on the night of April 8/9, 1944 with three other SOE agents: Captain Stanislaw Makowski, Captain C. S. Hudson - who was her CO until de Vomecourt arrived by plane - and Captain G. D. Jones. She worked on the SOE Ventriloquist Circuit as the wireless operator. Her codename was Violette. Byck lodged at a safe house in the town of Salbris owned by French Resistant Antoine Vincent. She sent her transmissions back to England from a shed behind a garage in Limoges where German trucks and cars came in for repairs[2]. Whilst she was at this location, she aroused the suspicion of a German soldier, but by the time the local Gestapo returned Byck had moved to a new location. She changed her cover story, posing as a Parisian secretary on sick leave; to disguise her night time activities sending messages though to London, she said she had to take medicine every few hours even at night. She later moved again to the home of a blacksmith. in Vernou.
[edit] Death
Byck was working extremely hard sending her transmissions, so it was no surprise when she started to look pale and was tired. However when she collapsed at the blacksmith's house and lost consciousness, it was decided she required urgent medical attention. De Vomécourt took her to a Doctor known to the Resistance as safe; he diagnosed meningitis and told them that hospitalisation was her only chance. This posed a problem as the Germans kept a check on hospital admissions and scrutinised the papers of all people entering. It was decided that the cover story was Byck and de Vomécourt (her Uncle) were evacuees from Paris. Byck was admitted to Romorantin Hospital which was run by Nuns; they may have suspected that Byck was a British Agent but they never disclosed it to the Germans. She was given a lumbar puncture, but very shortly afterwards she died in de Vomécourt's arms. It was May 23, 1944 and Muriel Byck, aged 25, had been in the field for just 6 weeks.
She was buried in Romorantin and for many years her grave was tended by the local people. The townsfold of Romorantin commemorated the Anniversary of her death as a heroine of the Resistance. Later, her grave was moved to the Pornic War Cemetery, France with the other dead from the British services.
[edit] Posthumous Honours & Decorations
Muriel was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches for her conduct, and she is commemorated on the Knightsbridge and Valençay memorials as well as the war memorial at the Lycee Francais in Kensington.
[edit] References
- Squadron Leader Beryl E. Escott, Mission Improbable: A salute to the RAF women of SOE in wartime France, London, Patrick Stevens Limited, 1991. ISBN 1-85260-289-9
- Liane Jones, A Quiet Courage: Women Agents in the French Resistance, London, Transworld Publishers Ltd, 1990. ISBN 0-593-01663-7
- Muriel Byck's entry on the SOE Role of Honour
[edit] Notes
- ^ Muriel Tamara Byck - SOE - Special Forces - Roll Of Honour
- ^ Liane Jones, A Quiet Courage: Women Agents in the French Resistance, London, Transworld Publishers Ltd, 1990. ISBN 0-593-01663-7
