Nancy Wake, nicknamed the ‘White Mouse’, has died in a London hospital aged 98. The WWII French resistance fighter is an inspiration to many and her wartime efforts will never be forgotten.

Nancy Wake married French industrialist Henri Fiocca in 1939 and when France was occupied by the Nazis in 1940, she became a courier for the French resistance. The Gestapo called her the White Mouse due to her ability to evade capture and by 1943 she was its most-wanted person, with a reward of five million francs offered for her capture.

When the resistance network was betrayed in 1943, Nancy had to leave France and her husband behind. He was captured and tortured by the Gestapo and executed not long after. She received no information of his death until the war was over.

Nancy coordinated 7,000 resistance fighters and sabotaged many German installations. Her bravery was not unnoticed. Ms Wake was awarded France’s highest military honour (Légion d'Honneur) and remains Australia’s most decorate servicewoman to date. She was made a Companion of the Order of Australian in 2004.

If you would like to read more on Nancy Wake, check out her biography entitled The White Mouse: The Autobiography of the Woman the Gestapo called The White Mouse