I Am Not Afraid of Looking into the Rifles : Women of the Resistance in World War One

'A thrilling narrative that creates an extraordinary picture of female resistance' The Lady 'Fascinating' Kavita Puri, BBC History Magazine 'A fierce, intense picture of this aspect of the war . . . it will stay with me' Elizabeth Buchan, author of Two Women in Rome On the evening of 31 March 1916, a 23-year-old woman was led from her prison cell in occupied Brussels. She wore a long blue coat and walked 'like a soldier'. The chaplain asked if she would like a blindfold before her execution. 'I am not afraid of looking into the rifles,' she replied. 'I have been expecting this for a long time.' This is not a traditional history of the First World War. It is the untold story of the women of the resistance in Belgium and occupied France during that conflict. Rick Stroud describes how the actions of eight exceptionally brave women affected the course of the war. Before the Germans invaded, they were ordinary people: some, like Gabrielle Petit, were working-class; some, like Edith Cavell, were from the bourgeoisie; and some. like the Princess de Croÿ, were from the upper echelons of society. The youngest was only twenty-one. The women took enormous risks and produced extraordinary results: they established underground networks, transmitted coded information, carried out sabotage attacks and helped to repatriate Allied soldiers. What they did was dangerous and exhausting and the penalties were severe: three faced the firing squad. Recounting their heroism and their inevitable tragedies, I Am Not Afraid of Looking into the Rifles is an enthralling story, beautifully told. In revealing the inspiring work of these remarkable women, Rick Stroud will introduce you to an entirely new version of the 'war to end all wars'. Si les combattants, du fait de l'intensité des batailles et du nombre de ceux qui y sont engagés, concentrent l'intérêt historique, les populations des « régions envahies » en France du nord et du nord est et en Belgique, inventent quelques formes « d'une résistance sans armes » selon les termes utilisés dès les années 1920. Aide à l'évacuation des soldats qui veulent éviter la captivité, recherche de renseignements sur des objectifs militaires, publication des journaux clandestins, illustrent quelques-unes des pratiques de civils volontaires qui s'engagent au sein d'une population hostile au travail pour l'Allemand malgré les difficultés de la vie quotidienne. Quelques noms ont échappé à l'usure du temps. Gabrielle Petit ou Édith Cavell en Belgique, Léon Trulin, Eugène Jacquet, Louise de Bettignies, en France du Nord, offrent des exemples de ce patriotisme qui agit de part et d'autres de la frontière. Cette publication est le fruit des recherches menées par des historiens français et belges qui ont confronté leurs analyses au cours de la cinquième journée d'études bisannuelles tenue, en partenariat la ville et le Musée de la Résistance de Bondues, en janvier 2010