Patricia O'Sullivan
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| Patricia O'Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Born January 3, 1918 | |
| Nickname | Agent Fireman, Simonet |
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom, France |
| Service/branch | Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Special Operations Executive, French Resistance |
| Years of service | 1944-1944 |
| Rank | Field agent and guerrilla commander |
| Commands held | SOE F Section networks#Fireman |
| Awards | Croix de Guerre, MBE |
Patricia "Paddy" O'Sullivan (January 3, 1918, Dublin, Ireland – March 5, 1994) was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II and worked as a wireless operator for the French Section.
Born in Ireland the daughter of an Irish journalist, her English mother sadly died when Paddy was only 15 months old. She began her schooling at St Louis Convent in Dublin. However, at the age of seven she was send to live with an aunt in Belgium. There she attended convent school in Coutrai and then the Athenée Royale in Ostend.
At the beginning of the war she was a nurse working at Highgate Hospital in London. She joined the WAAF on July 7, 1941, as a Aircraft Handler General Duties, and was later promoted to Section Officer.
Paddy parachuted into Limoges on March 23, 1944. The weather was extremely foggy and the pilot suggested that they return to England, but Paddy was determined and she jumped. Landing heavily, she was temporarily concussed, but always said her life was saved by the 2 million francs strapped to her back. Paddy's alias was Micheline Marcelle Simonet and her cover story was that she was a 'dame de compagnie' of a doctor in Paris, where she helped the doctor in the surgery as well as with his children; she was taking one month's leave to look for a lost Belgian parent in the Creuse area.
Following successful work with the Fireman network, Paddy returned to England on October 5 1944. She was awarded the MBE Civil, which was gazetted on September 4, 1945.
In June 1945 Paddy was posted to Force 136 in Calcutta, India as liaison officer to work with the French.
After the warm Paddy settled in England and went on to marry Eric Alvey, a former SOE trainer. They had two sons.
