LILIAN VERA ROLFE

Lilian Rolfe, executed in 1945 alongside fellow S.O.E. heroines Denise Bloch and Violette Szabo, was responsible for communications that facilitated arms and supply drops benefitting the Resistance forces. Within her pages you’ll find:

BIOGRAPHY

Lilian Rolfe lived in Rio de Janeiro when war broke out in Europe in 1939. As she watched events unfold thousands of miles away, her blood boiled in frustration at her own impotence.

She knew that she had to be part of the war effort and so, armed with nothing more than her courage, a passionate belief in the Allies’ cause, and her ability to speak fluent French, she embarked on the long voyage to London with one aim in mind: to join the WAAF (Womens’ Auxiliary Air Force). Load Bio »

SERVICE

A full–size digitized stat of Lilian Vera Rolfe’s short but dramatic Royal Air Force record of service from the Air Ministry’s files. Read »

HONOR

At the time of the Croix de Guerre award to Lilian Rolfe in 1946, it was not known that she had been executed at Ravensbruck on or about 5 February 1945. We’ve found the accompanying citation in French, its English translation and an article about the dedication of a street in Montargis in her honor. View »

PHOTOGRAPHS

Striking images of the beautiful Lilian Vera Rolfe, proud in her RAF uniform and hauntingly beautiful during happier times.View »

MORE REAL CHARLOTTES

Learn about other Real Charlottes, who, like Lilian Vera Rolfe, were the courageous heroines of the S.O.E. “F” Section. »