Posted on 12/05/2023 11:46:08 PM PST by RandFan
A female World War Two veteran is to receive France's highest honour for her work at the UK's codebreaking HQ.
Gladys Lewis, 100, from East Yorkshire, worked at Bletchley Park and has been awarded the Legion d'Honneur.
Her job involved typing up transcripts of decoded Nazi intelligence and she kept her vital work secret from her family for 50 years.
Mrs Lewis said she felt "proud" and said that during the war she hoped the messages were "doing some good".
Since 2014, France has awarded the accolade to more than 6,000 British veterans in recognition of their contribution to the liberation of France.
In a letter accompanying the medal, the French ambassador said: "We must never forget heroes like you who came from Britain and the Commonwealth to begin the liberation of Europe by liberating France.
"We owe our freedom and security to your dedication."
Mrs Lewis, who grew up in Sproatley near Hull, arrived at Bletchley in 1942 as a young member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF).
She said she had no idea of what took place there and the posting had come "out of the blue".
Mrs Lewis signed the Official Secrets Act and said secrecy was "drummed into you".
Even those working in different huts did not talk to each other about their roles, she said.
"You had to type five carbon copies of each message that you got. You can imagine what that was like on those old Imperial typewriters. You really had to hit the keys hard," she said.
"And you had to type them in a certain way - certain things had to be done in capitals and repeated.
"Place names had to be repeated. Positions of submarines had to be repeated."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Amazing.
France does good medals, even for civilians.
My grandfather, a machinist, worked in a factory during the war, he wasn’t drafted because of skills and age. He worked 80-90 hours a week for months at a stretch. My mom and grandmother hardly saw him until after 1944. They had plenty of money but nothing to buy and no way to go anywhere. All he got from the US was a tiny “E” medal which was really a factory award. I have and treasure this.
“You had to type five carbon copies of each message that you got. You can imagine what that was like on those old Imperial typewriters. You really had to hit the keys hard,”
Am I the only one who fails to see the heroism in this work?
I think it is an award for merit and valuable work, not heroism.
https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/en/page/legion-honor-10-questions/406
3. Who is eligible?
Any French citizen with no criminal record, who has demonstrated outstanding merits in the service of the nation, in a military or a civilian capacity. Twenty years of activity at least are required to qualify for the Legion of Honor.
4. How many have received it?
The Legion of Honor has 79,000 members. On average, 2200 French and 300 foreigners are decorated each year.
I just googled ‘US veterans awarded the French Medal of Honor’ and read some interesting articles of US servicemen who helped liberate France from the Nazis, and the French consul in the US personally presenting these aged heroes with the medal. ❤❤❤
Re,: post #5, for many years, women’s participation in the armed forces was limited to support work. Even in the US Women’s Army Corps, females in basic training in Ft. McClellan Alabama did not receive rifle training until the recruits entering in January 1974. (I was there.) Was the contribution of female service members any less valuable to the support of their country? The French are making a sincere effort to find and thank all veterans who helped in their liberation.
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