A Cool and Lonely Courage by Susan Ottaway

Author:Susan Ottaway
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography / Women, History / Europe / France, History / Europe / Great Britain, History / Military / World War Ii, True Crime / Espionage
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2014-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

Didi Vanishes

The day after Jacqueline had returned to England the Stationer circuit was sent a new wireless operator. René Mathieu (Aimé) arrived to take over from Maingard so that the latter could become Southgate’s aide-de-camp (ADC). Mathieu, who had his base in Montluçon, assumed all responsibility for the circuit’s wireless transmissions, thereby freeing Maingard to take up the position of ADC immediately.

At the end of April Southgate had been due to meet Capitaine René Antoine, the military representative of the Armée Secrète (AS) in Châteauroux, and narrowly escaped being apprehended by the Germans, as Maingard, who had heard about the arrest of Antoine, cycled at breakneck speed to tell him not to go anywhere near the AS man’s headquarters. Several arrests had been made in Châteauroux and, since the town seemed to be becoming more dangerous, Southgate and Maingard decided to move to Montluçon themselves, if only until the furor had died down. They took a train and arrived in the town at 11:15 p.m. on 30 April.

The following morning the pair set out for Mathieu’s house on the rue de Rimard. Southgate left Maingard there to look at the two dozen messages that had arrived from London during the previous week and to take them back to their lodgings so that he could read them later. Several newly arrived agents had also recently come to Montluçon, and before meeting Mathieu himself Southgate had lunch with them. When he eventually got to the rue de Rimard he was very tired and quite preoccupied. He therefore failed to notice several men walking up and down the street, endeavoring to look inconspicuous. Had it been at any other time he would have immediately recognized them for what they were—Gestapo agents—but he had so much to think about that he didn’t notice them or the obvious members of the Milice who were also hovering around the area. Southgate, one of the best of all SOE circuit leaders, who had always been so security minded, went to the house where Mathieu was staying and, for the first time in his SOE career, knocked on the door before making even the most cursory of security checks. It was what he had feared Jacqueline might do in her exhausted condition and, in a similar state himself, he made what was to be both his first and his last major mistake. The door flew open and he was dragged inside by armed men, who proceeded to search him.

When nothing incriminating was found on him, he was taken to Gestapo headquarters in the town. Here he was placed in a small room with several other people who were being guarded by young Frenchmen, members of the Milice. Southgate described how he was treated by these young hoodlums:

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