Ms. Gabrielle Weidner, the heroine of World War II, was born August 17, 1914 to Dutch parents. She was raised in Collonges, France where her father served as minister at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Paris. Her background was one of devout religious observance and high education.
With the outbreak of World War II, Ms. Weidner returned from abroad to work at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Paris. She was a prominant contributor to the French Resistance and approximately one thousand saved lives, including 800 Jews and 100 downed Allied airmen can be attributed to her efforts.
On February 26, 1944, the Gestapo arrested Ms. Weidner and 140 others that had serviced the escape system. Ms. Weidner was forced to endure physical and mental torture at Fresnes prison in Paris. Shortly after she was moved to a Ravensbrück sub-camp where she passed away on February 17, 1945 due to malnutrition.
She is remembered by the world and honored on a plague in Orry la Ville, France commemorating the Dutch resistance.
Edited by Matthew London
Source: Wikipedia
