Gabrielle Petit : The Death and Life of a Female Spy in the First World War

In central Brussels stands a statue of a young woman. Built in 1923, it is the first monument to a working-class woman in European history. Her name was Gabrielle Petit. History has forgotten Petit, an ambitious and patriotic Belgian, executed by firing squad in 1916 for her role as an intelligence agent for the British Army. After the First World War she was celebrated as an example of stern endeavour, but a hundred years later her memory has faded. In the first part of this historical biography Sophie De Schaepdrijver uses Petit's life to explore gender, class and heroism in the context of occupied Europe. Petit's experiences reveal the reality of civilian engagement under military occupation and the emergence of modern espionage. The second part of the book focuses on the legacy and cultural memory of Petit and the First World War. By analysing Petit's representation in ceremony, discourse and popular culture De Schaepdrijver expands our understanding of remembrance across the 20th century. Book jacket Cover page......Page 74 Halftitle page......Page 2 Title page......Page 4 Copyright page......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 8 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 10 MAPS......Page 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 12 INTRODUCTION......Page 14 PROLOGUE: EXHUMATION......Page 24 PART I LIFE......Page 28 Early Childhood, 1893–1902......Page 30 Adrift in the Belle Époque , 1908–1911......Page 41 Little Molenbeek, 1911–1914......Page 46 Mobilization......Page 52 War......Page 55 Suspicions......Page 57 “Done Being Useless”......Page 60 Departures......Page 64 Roaming Agent......Page 68 Reports......Page 72 “External Transmission”......Page 77 Counter- espionage......Page 85 High Alert......Page 92 Bureau A8......Page 93 Arrest and Questioning......Page 98 The Trial......Page 106 Appeal......Page 114 “I Can Do Anything If I Put My Mind To It”......Page 116 “Never Mind, We’ll See”......Page 120 Rejection......Page 123 Goodbyes......Page 124 Execution......Page 127 “Let Justice Run Its Course”......Page 128 Reactions......Page 132 Abeyance, 1916–1918......Page 134 PART II MEMORY......Page 138 Unearthing Civilian Heroism......Page 140 Democratic Breakthrough—To A Point......Page 145 The Waning of “Brave Little Belgium”......Page 147 One National Figure......Page 149 Narrating a Legend80......Page 151 A Fight Over a Grave91......Page 153 The Funeral as Performance......Page 155 The Funeral as Lesson114......Page 157 Deepening Fervor......Page 160 Variations on a Theme, 1919–1921......Page 164 The Archive, 1919–1921......Page 170 The Biography, 192261......Page 177 The Monument, 1923......Page 182 Counterheroes, 1919–1923......Page 186 Interwar Emblem, 1924–1940......Page 190 Face of the Resistance, 1940–1949......Page 195 Last Efforts, 1964–1966......Page 197 Retreat, 1986–2007......Page 201 CONCLUSION......Page 204 NOTES......Page 208 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 246 INDEX......Page 264 This book examines the life of Gabrielle Petit, an ambitious and patriotic Belgian, executed by firing squad in 1916 for her role as an intelligence agent for the British Army. After the First World War she was celebrated as an example of stern endeavour, but a hundred years later her memory has faded. In this historical biography, the author uses Petit's life to explore gender, class and heroism in the context of occupied Europe.--Publisher's description Disinheritance, 1893-1914 -- Engagement, August 1914-August 1915 -- War work, August 1915-February 1916 -- Confrontation, 2 February to 3 March 1916 -- "Utterly alone," 3 March 1916-11 November 1918 -- Memory agents, 1918-1919 -- National heroine, 1919-1923 -- Palimpsest, 1924-2007