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Eliane Sophie Plewman
  • Eliane Sophie Plewman was born in Marseille, France in 1917. She was educated in France and England, and spoke fluent French and Spanish.
  • Plewman was given the code name ‘Gaby’ and parachuted into France in August 1943, only to discover that her contacts in the Resistance movement had been arrested.
  • Plewman was tortured, but did not disclose any information. She was then detained in prisons in France and Germany before being sent to Dachau concentration camp in September 1944. Here, aged only 26, she was shot dead.

Pre-war life

Eliane Sophie Plewman was born in Marseille, France in 1917. She was educated in France and England, and spoke fluent French and Spanish. She came to Leicester in 1937 to work as a translator for George Odom Ltd, woollen exporters in Albion Street. After the outbreak of World War II she worked for the British Embassy in Madrid, and then for the Spanish Section of the Ministry of Information in London. In July 1942 she married Thomas Plewman, a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. Eliane later joined the French Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), established in 1940 to support Resistance movements in German-occupied Europe.  

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Eliane Sophie Plewman

Service in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) 

She was given the code name ‘Gaby’ and parachuted into France in August 1943, only to discover that her contacts in the Resistance movement had been arrested. She used her initiative to make new contacts, liaising between different Resistance groups and carrying messages between Marseilles and her radio operator along the coast at Roquebrune. Early in 1944 she and her brother Albert, also a SOE agent, took part in a sabotage operation that put 30 locomotives out of service with explosives under a railway line. In March 1944, however, her network was betrayed to the Germans, and she was arrested by the Gestapo.   

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Thomas Langford Plewman 1944

Execution at Dachau

She was tortured, but did not disclose any information. She was then detained in prisons in France and Germany before being sent to Dachau concentration camp in September 1944. Here, aged only 26, she was shot dead alongside three other women prisoners Yolande Beekman, Madeleine Damerment and Noor Inayat Khan. She was posthumously awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star and the King’s Commendation. Eliane “just did her duty”, her husband Tom said in 1946; but she is fittingly commemorated on plaques at Dachau and Marseilles, on the World War II memorial at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, and the SOE memorial in Valencay, France.

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Post-war request and report on the efforts to locate Éliane Plewman -
Post-war request and report on the efforts to locate Éliane Plewman
Memorial board -
Memorial board
The Handley Page Halifax B.II Special were used for SOE operations. -
The Handley Page Halifax B.II Special were used for SOE operations.
FANY (SOE) memorial, -
FANY (SOE) memorial,
Medals of honour -
Medals of honour

Roman Leicester

(47- 500) A military fort was erected, attracting traders and a growing civilian community to Leicester (known as Ratae Corieltauvorum to the Romans). The town steadily grew throughout the reign of the Romans.

Medieval Leicester

(500 – 1500) The early years of this period was one of unrest with Saxon, Danes and Norman invaders having their influences over the town. Later, of course, came Richard III and the final battle of the Wars of the Roses was fought on Leicester’s doorstep.

Tudor & Stuart Leicester

(1500 – 1700) The wool trade flourished in Leicester with one local, a former mayor named William Wigston, making his fortune. During the English Civil War a bloody battle was fought as the forces of King Charles I laid siege to the town.

Georgian Leicester

(1700 – 1837) The knitting industry had really stared to take hold and Leicester was fast becoming the main centre of hosiery manufacture in Britain. This new prosperity was reflected throughout the town with broader, paved streets lined with elegant brick buildings and genteel residences.

Victorian Leicester

(1837 – 1901) The industrial revolution had a huge effect on Leicester resulting in the population growing from 40,000 to 212,000 during this period. Many of Leicester's most iconic buildings were erected during this time as wealthy Victorians made their mark on the town.

Edwardian Leicester

(1901 – 1910) Electric trams came to the streets of Leicester and increased literacy among the citizens led to many becoming politicised. The famous 1905 ‘March of the Unemployed to London’ left from Leicester market when 30,000 people came to witness the historic event.

Early 20th Century Leicester

(1910 – 1973) The diverse industrial base meant Leicester was able to cope with the economic challenges of the 1920s and 1930s. New light engineering businesses, such as typewriter and scientific instrument making, complemented the more traditional industries of hosiery and footwear manufacturing.

Modern Leicester

(1973 – present day) Industry was still thriving in the city during the 1970s, with the work opportunities attracting many immigrants from all over the world. While industry has declined in recent years, excellent transport links have made Leicester an attractive centre for many businesses. The City now has much to be proud of including its sporting achievements and the richness of its cultural heritage and diversity.

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