Above is the late Miss Margery Booth. British Gazette readers may well ask: Who is this lady?
The answer is one of this country’s heroines. This was a lady who served her country as a spy in Nazi Germany during World War Two. This was because she was an opera star who had married a German in the 1930s and was working as an opera singer there. Hitler was said to be captivated by her singing. As a result she had access to the Nazi hierarchy. She used this to good effect in the service of this country. Working in conjunction with the war hero John Brown she helped bring traitors such as Lord Haw Haw to justice.
At one point she was arrested by the Gestapo and was tortured. She did not reveal any information however and later escaped to invading US forces.
British Gazette readers will agree that the level of physical and moral courage shown by Miss Booth is of staggering proportions. One cannot begin to imagine the level of courageous endurance required to withstand the torture of the Gestapo.
Words quite literally fail us.
Was this lady decorated and received her well deserved recognition you ask?
No. She received no thanks, decoration or recognition whatsoever. Worse, because she was known by the British public as a British opera star living and working in Germany the British public’s understandable negative feelings towards this beautiful and patriotic heroine were never countered by the authorities and the record put straight. As a result she fled to New York and lived in obscurity until her death from cancer in 1952.
The British Gazette brings this wonderful lady’s bravery on the eve of the New Years honours. This is when we shall witness another tranche of celebrities and non-entities receive their gongs, whilst the true worthies such as Miss Booth WHO SHOULD RECEIVE A POSTHUMOUS GEORGE CROSS and such as Professor Colin Blakemore receive no recognition whatsoever.
But should we be surprised? No. Let’s face it. This country is being governed by traitors. Miss Booth’s enormous courage served to bring traitors to justice.
The phrase which comes to mind at this time of year that best describes a Quisling such as Prime Minister Cameron is Charles Dickens’s phrase, “…..the insect on the leaf….”
Speaking the Truth unto the Nation
Some British POWs were singled out as being open to persuasion to swop sides and were sent to Stalag 111D. One of the tactics was to entertain them with this Wigan born singer. However, they , the Germans, failed to spot her loyalty to the Crown and she had a fortunate meeting with a British spy, “John Brown” who was after Lord Haw Haw.
A marvellous lady she resisted all torture to the extent that the Germans eventually released her, believing her protestations of innocence.After the war the information she had provided was much used in the treason trials at the old bailey. How on earth she is not widely recognised is beyond understanding though what she would make of our modern day subservience to our EU masters is not difficult to imagine.
More on the story of the noble Margery Booth. Given the inequalities of the British honours system which sees ‘carpetbaggers’ and ‘chancers’ honoured alongside the truly deserving, perhaps it is time for the British Gazette as bearers of an unsullied name and tradition to institute its own award system.
I put forward the British Gazette Cross, to be awarded to all those manifestly deserving people like Margery Booth who for reasons outside our ken, are passed over.
The Founder of this forum plus one or two other regular commentators could provide an award vetting procedure with their findings and notice of the award published in the London Gazette/Daily Telegraph or similar publication.
If this suggestion finds acceptance then we should commission drawings for a design leading to manufacture. I suggest that the medal could bear the title: “Not Forgotten”
If this idea is accepted, I will make a donation to start the process.
What you say Peter…seems a good idea to me.