Tag: SD

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The Tartan Pimpernel

How many of you have read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy? Probably not many. It’s the story of the wealthy but foppish Sir Percy Blakeney who leads a double life. He is an accomplished swordsman, master of disguises, escape artist and as the “Scarlet Pimpernel,” Sir Percy rescues French aristocrats from the guillotine blade during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

Today, we are going to focus our attention on a Scottish pastor who led the Paris parish for the Church of Scotland. Rev. Dr. Donald Caskie’s wartime exploits for rescuing downed Allied airmen and leading them to safety through the Pat O’Leary escape line earned him the nickname, “The Tartan Pimpernel.”

I will be the guest speaker for Bonjour Paris on 6 December 2023 for a Zoom presentation to their members and others. The topic will be “Walking History: In the Footsteps of Marie Antoinette” and I will take you on a walk along the exact route in Paris that the queen’s tumbrel took to the guillotine. I invite you to join us for the discussion and slide show.

Bonjour Paris (click here to visit the web-site) is a digital website dedicated to bringing its members current news, travel tips, culture, and historical articles on Paris. I have been a member for more than ten years and have found its content to be quite interesting, practical, and entertaining.

 I will have a direct link to sign up for my presentation at a later date. There is no cost to Bonjour Paris members and €10,00 for non-members. The time of the live presentation on 6 December will be 11:30 AM, east coast time.

Did You Know?

Did you know I could probably write enough blogs on World War II traitors to fill an entire year? Today, I decided to call-out a particular British traitor who was quite dastardly and frankly, a lousy human being. Harold Cole (1906−1946) ⏤ a.k.a. Harry Cole, Paul Cole ⏤ began his criminal career as a teenager. Released from prison shortly after the war began, Cole enlisted in the British army and was stationed in France. Considered handsome with an appealing personality and sharp wits, Cole was never without female company. It didn’t take long before he was caught stealing from the army and jailed. Escaping, Cole was apprehended and thrown into jail once again. As the Germans overran France, Cole was released by the military but rather than returning to England, he remained in France. Read More The Tartan Pimpernel

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The Petticoat Panel

Anyone familiar with Allied clandestine operations during World War II (e.g., British-led Special Operations Executive – SOE, Gen. de Gaulle’s Bureau Central de Renseignements et d’Action – BCRA, and America’s Office of Strategic Services – OSS) is aware of two things: first, women were used as undercover agents operating behind enemy lines and many of them were very successful. (Alas, too many female agents were executed by the Germans or killed in the line of duty.) Second, after the war, these women were either abandoned by their agencies or forced to work in pre-war job assignments (e.g., secretarial). Many of the former female field agents’ male bosses felt threatened, especially when the man had no field experience. Those attitudes held back many talented women who believed (and rightfully so) they had not only proved themselves but could contribute even more to a post-war world.

CIA clerks and typists. Photo by anonymous (c. 1952). CIA Archives.
CIA clerks and typists. Photo by anonymous (c. 1952). CIA Archives.

It was a “man’s world” back in those days and this was especially true in the world of espionage. Six years after the formation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a group of women had a meeting with the agency’s new director, Allen Dulles (1893−1969), for the purpose of determining his attitude toward roles of women working for the CIA. During the meeting, they asked the director three pointed questions. (Soon after, a senior CIA manager called these women, the “Wise Gals.”) The outcome of this meeting was the formation of a thirteen-member panel to study the issues raised earlier. This group of women became known as the “Petticoat Panel.” Read More The Petticoat Panel