WWII heroine turns 100: One of the last surviving members of the Special Operations Executive ordered by Churchill to ‘set Europe ablaze’ celebrates her centenary
- Grandmother-of-six Mildred Schutz served in Italy as part of the SOE
- Her secretive role meant she told friends and family she was a lorry driver
A member of the wartime SOE who lived under the constant threat of death while serving behind enemy lines in Italy has celebrated her 100th birthday.
Grandmother-of-six Mildred Schutz, who was a teenager during the Blitz, joined the top secret Special Operations Executive at the age of just 19.
The unit was set up in July 1940 and had orders from Prime Minister Winston Churchill to ‘set Europe ablaze’.
Mrs Schutz, who now lives in Surrey, was posted to what she called a ‘very scruffy fishing village’ in Italy.
She said earlier this year: ‘The Germans had announced all our backgrounds, so we knew if we got caught that was the end of you.’
Mrs Schutz’s secretive role meant she told friends and family she was a lorry driver.
A member of the wartime SOE who lived under the constant threat of death while serving behind enemy lines in Italy has celebrated her 100th birthday. Grandmother-of-six Mildred Schutz, who was a teenager during the Blitz, joined the top secret Special Operations Executive at the age of just 19
During the Blitz, she lived on a farm in Walton on Thames and remembers the sound of anti-aircraft guns on the nearby Sandown racecourse shooting at German planes as they made their way towards London.
The farm was littered with firebombs after raids.
Mrs Schutz trained as a nurse after leaving school, and then joined the SOE.
She told MailOnline in 2018: ‘I was very surprised when I found out that I’d joined SOE, the forerunner of MI6.
‘They offered me training and I accepted. It was mainly memory training. They would give me a brief set of instructions once and I’d have to obey them perfectly the next day.
‘Finally, they asked me if I’d be willing to go overseas in the field.
Mrs Schutz (above centre, during the war), who now lives in Surrey, was posted to what she called a ‘very scruffy fishing village’ in Italy
Mrs Schutz trained as a nurse after leaving school, and then joined the SOE. Above: During the war
She told MailOnline in 2018: ‘I was very surprised when I found out that I’d joined SOE, the forerunner of MI6’
After the war, Mrs Schutz worked for a shipping company and married husband Reginald, who died of a brain tumour in 1983
‘They said I’d need to have parachute training. I thought it was terribly exciting, so I said yes immediately.’
Despite having her cover blown by German agents before she left Britain, Mrs Schutz was sent to Italy.
There she was ordered to work behind enemy lines, making contact with friendly Italian resistance groups and organising them into effective fighting operations.
‘It could get pretty hectic,’ she recalled. ‘Once I was in a jeep and some Fascist fighters triggered a landslide on us.
‘I only just escaped with my life. I then secured the documents we needed, and was driving back through a vineyard.
‘A group of Italians came running out, shouting that the place was full of Germans. We sped round a corner, straight into a machine-gun nest which opened fire.
‘Luckily, it’s quite tricky to hit a speeding jeep.’
After the war, Mrs Schutz worked for a shipping company and married husband Reginald, who died of a brain tumour in 1983.
In March, she was honoured alongside fellow veteran Marie Scott (right) at the Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly
The couple had five children.
‘I wasn’t in a great rush to get married. I didn’t think it a good idea,’ she said.
‘Once one has been abroad in the forces, being a housewife seems all a bit mundane.’
In March, she was honoured alongside fellow veteran Marie Scott at the Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly.
Asked, whether she felt like an inspiration for young women today, Mrs Schutz said: ‘I don’t think so, not with being this age – you’re just a couple of old dears.’
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