Global InformationElvire De Greef information
Elvire De Greef | |
|---|---|
 Commemorative plaque on Villa Voisin, her former house in Anglet. | |
| Born | Elvire Ghislaine Berlemont June 29, 1897 Ixelles, Belgium |
| Died | August 20, 1991 (aged 94) Brussels, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
Elvire De Greef, (born June 29, 1897, Ixelles, Belgium, d. August 20, 1991, Brussels), code name Tante Go or Auntie Go, was a member of the Comet Escape Line in World War II. From her house in Anglet in southwestern France, near the border with Spain, she led efforts by the Comet Line in the Basque country to exfiltrate people from occupied Belgium through France to Spain, especially Allied airmen whose aircraft had been shot down by Nazi Germany. Once across the border in neutral Spain the escapees were transported to the United Kingdom. De Greef's husband and two teenage children also worked with the Comet line.
De Greef was a recipient of the George Medal from the United Kingdom and the Medal of Freedom from the United States. Unlike many of the leaders of the Comet Line, De Greef was never captured by the Germans. Authors Nichol and Rennell regarded De Greef as the most important person of the Comet Line, except for founder Andrée de Jongh.[1]
- ^ Nichol, John; Rennell, Tony (2008). Home Run. London: Penguin Books. p. 105. ISBN 9780141024196.