Violette Bushell-Szabo

          On June 26, 1921 Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo was born to an English soldier and a French woman. She was the second child of five, who was also the only daughter of the English soldier, Charles George Bushell. During the first World War, Violette and her family moved to London, but due to the  Great Depression, Violette and her youngest brother, Dickie, had to relocate and live with their aunt in the northern region of France. When Violette was 11, she was reunited with her family in Stockwell, south London.
           In the dawn of the 1940's Violette became a member of the Land Army and was sent to Fareham, Hampshire where she would effectuate strawberry picking. She soon returned to London and became an employee in a western London factory Acton. On August 21, 1941, Violette, age 19, was wed to a 31 year old French officer of Hungarian decent after a 42-day romance. Following the death or her newly wed husband, there was no question when she accepted the offer to be a trained as a field agent for the Special Operations Executive (SOE).