Wokingham raises £300 for Poppy Appeal
A WOKINGHAM woman has revealed the extra special reason which inspired her to become a fundraiser for this year’s Poppy Appeal.
Kim Murray raised more than £300 in just two hours outside the town’s Waitrose store where she works as a cashier.
She has been a poppy collector for a number of years but said a book about her grandmother, Odette Hallowes, who worked for the French Resistance, provided extra motivation to help the appeal.
Kim, who was joined by her black Labrador, Molly, was given the book by her daughter’s godmother and close friend, Sophie Parker.
“My grandmother was French, her husband was English and they lived in England with their three daughters,” explained Kim.
“She was horrified at what the Nazis were doing in her native France and while she didn’t want to leave her family, she felt a strong sense of duty to do whatever she could to help.
“In 1942, Odette joined the
Special Operations Executive and was dropped behind enemy lines. It was very dangerous with lots of risks but she worked with the Resistance on a number of campaigns to thwart the German occupying force.”
These included clearing landing strips for Allied aircraft, finding safe houses for other agents and relaying messages back to British headquarters. On one mission she was almost discovered and only managed to escape a pursuing dog patrol by jumping into an icy river.
A year after arriving in
France, Odette was betrayed and despite being brutally tortured refused to reveal the names of her fellow agents. She was sent to the infamous Ravensbruck concentration camp where she was repeatedly interrogated, beaten and starved.
“My grandmother was such a brave and strong woman,” added Kim
“She survived for two years in the camp and in April 1945, word began to spread that the Allies were closing in. Himmler ordered that no witnesses were to be left alive. One day the prison commandant took my grandmother from her cell. She thought she was going to be shot, but instead he led her to an American army base and handed her over.”
Odette eventually made her way back to England, where she was reunited with her family.
Her bravery saw her awarded the George Cross, an MBE and the Legion d’Honneur.
Every Remembrance Sunday, the brave Resistance fighter would lay a wreath of poppies for her regiment, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps) to honour her fellow female agents with the Special Operations Executive who never returned home.
“My grandmother would always attach a small bouquet of violets, her favourite flower, to the wreath,” added Kim
“She would say she was honouring her comrades who did far more and suffered more profoundly than she did and were not there to speak so she would speak for them.
“Our family are now honoured to carry out this poignant tribute at the Remembrance Service on her behalf.”
Kim added she was “overwhelmed” with people’s generosity, with one woman even buying her a hot drink after making a donation to the appeal.
“So many people paid by card and while the minimum was £3, they would tell me to round it up to £10,” she explained.
“Molly, of course, was as popular as ever. She wore a purple poppy that commemorates all the animals, including dogs and horses, that were killed in wars.
“My family are very proud of our grandmother. Her heroism was outstanding yet she remained a very humble person. We are honoured to place a bouquet of poppies in memory of her and all the brave women like her in the Special Operations Executive.”
Odette’s full story is told in the book,