Pearl Cornioley
June 24, 1914(1914-06-24) – February 24, 2008
Nickname	Agent Wrestler, Marie, Pauline[1]
Allegiance	United Kingdom, France
Service/branch	Special Operations Executive, French Resistance
Years of service	1943-1944
Rank	Field agent and guerrilla commander
Unit	Maquis (World War II)
Commands held	Wrestler Network
Awards	MBE, CBE, Legion d'honneur

Cecile Pearl Witherington Cornioley CBE (June 24, 1914 - February 24, 2008) was a World War II SOE agent born in Paris to British parents. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French Resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German The Maquis (ma'ki were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. These are the networks, also known as circuits, (or réseaux to their French participants established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

Contents 1 Wartime service 2 Honours 3 Private life 4 References 5 External links

Wartime service

Pearl Witherington was born and raised in France but was a British subject. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. She was employed at the British embassy in Paris and engaged to Henri Cornioley (1910-1999) when the Germans invaded in May 1940. Cecile Pearl Witherington Cornioley CBE ( June 24 1914 - February 24 2008) was a World War II SOE agent She escaped occupied France with her mother and three sisters in December 1940 and eventually arrived in London where she found work with the Air Ministry. The German occupation of France in World War II occurred during the period between May 1940 to December 1944 Determined to fight back against the German occupation of France, she joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) on June 8, 1943. The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers In training she emerged as the "best shot" the service had ever seen. A marksman is a person that is skilled in Precision shooting, using projectile weapons such as with a Rifle but most commonly with a Sniper rifle, ^[2]

Given the code name "Marie," Witherington was dropped by parachute into occupied France on 22 September 1943, where she joined Maurice Southgate, leader of the Stationer Network. Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. These are the networks, also known as circuits, (or réseaux to their French participants established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations Over the next eight months, she worked as Southgate's courier.

After the Gestapo arrested Southgate in May 1944 who was subsequently deported to Buchenwald, she became leader of the new Wrestler Network, under a new code-name "Pauline", in the Valencay-Issoudun-Chateauroux triangle. The ( contraction of ge heime Sta ats' po' lizei: "Secret State Police" was the official Secret police of Nazi Germany These are the networks, also known as circuits, (or réseaux to their French participants established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations Valençay is a commune in the Indre department in central France. Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. Châteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in Berry, after Bourges. She reorganised the network with the help of her fiancé, Henri Cornioley, and it fielded over 1,500 members of the Maquis; they played an important role fighting the German Army during the D-Day landings. The Maquis (ma'ki were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. D-Day may also refer to Decimal Day in the United Kingdom. D-Day is a term often used in Military parlance to denote They were so effective that the Nazi regime put a ƒ1,000,000 bounty on her head. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German The Germans even ordered 2,000 men to attack her force with artillery in a 14 hour long battle. Cornioley states:

“

"We were attacked by 2,000 Germans on the 11th June [1944] at 8 o'clock in the morning and the small maquis, comprising approximately 40 men, badly armed and untrained, put up a terrific fight, with the neighbouring communist maquis which numbered approximately 100 men. "[3]

”

She records that the battle raged for 14 hours and the Germans lost 86 men while the Maquis lost 24 "including civilians who were shot and the injured who were finished off". ^[4] She fled to a cornfield until the Germans left the area. While the Germans succeeded in breaking up her group, she quickly regrouped and launched large scale guerilla assaults that wreaked havoc among German columns travelling to the battlefront through her area of operations. ^[5] The force she commanded ultimately killed 1,000 German soldiers while suffering few casualties of its own and disrupted a key railway line connecting the south of France to Normandy more than 800 times. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. She would ultimately preside over the surrender of 18,000 German troops. ^[2]

Honours

After the war, Witherington was recommended for the Military Cross, but as a woman, she was ineligible and instead was offered an MBE (Civil Division). The Military Cross ( MC) is the third level Military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993 other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Witherington rejected the medal with an icy note pointing out that 'there was nothing remotely "civil" about what I did. I didn't sit behind a desk all day. ' She accepted a military MBE and in recent years was awarded the CBE. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. She was also a recipient of the Légion d'honneur. ^[6]

In April 2006, after a six-decade wait, Witherington was awarded her parachute wings, which she considered a greater honour than either the MBE or the CBE. She had completed three parachute jumps, with the fourth operational.

"But the chaps did four training jumps, and the fifth was operational - and you only got your wings after a total of five jumps", Witherington said. "So I was not entitled - and for 63 years I have been moaning to anybody who would listen because I thought it was an injustice. "^[7]

Private life

In September 1944, Witherington returned to England where she married Henri Cornioley in Kensington Register Office on 26 October 1944; they had a daughter, Claire. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

With the help of journalist Hervé Larroque, Witherington's autobiography, Pauline, was published in 1997 (ISBN 978-2-9513746-0-7). Much of her wartime service is also included in the book Behind Enemy Lines with the SAS (published in 2007 by Pen and Sword Publ. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. , England).

Her story is said to have been the inspiration for the Sebastian Faulks novel Charlotte Gray which was made into a film starring Cate Blanchett in 2001,^[2] although Faulks denied this in an interview with The Guardian. Sebastian Faulks CBE FRSL (born 20 April 1953) is an acclaimed English Novelist. Charlotte Gray is a 1999 book by Sebastian Faulks and completes his loose trilogy of books about France with an account of the adventures of a young Charlotte Gray is a 2001 feature Film directed by Gillian Armstrong, based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks. Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969 is an Academy Award -winning Australian Actress and Stage director. ^[8]

She died, aged 93, in a retirement home in the Loire Valley of France. Loire Valley (Vallée de la Loire is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

References

External links

• Obituary
• Biodata
• BBC News article on award of her Parachute Wings
• "The Real 'Charlotte Grays' -- Pearl Witherington, Extraordinary Courage," BBC Channel 4, undated

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