Cornioley-Witherington, Cecile Pearl

Date of birth:: June 24th, 1914 (Paris, France)
Date of death:: February 24th, 2008 (Blois, France)
Service number:: 9904
Nationality:: British

Biography

In April 2006, after a six-decade wait, Witherington was awarded her parachute wings, which she considered a greater honour than either the MBE or the CBE. She had completed three training parachute jumps, with the fourth operational. "But the chaps did four training jumps, and the fifth was operational - and you only got your wings after a total of five jumps", Witherington said. "So I was not entitled - and for 63 years I have been moaning to anybody who would listen because I thought it was an injustice."

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Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Flight Officer
Unit:: F Section, Special Operations Executive (SOE), British Government
Awarded on:: September 4th, 1945

Citation:
"This officer was parachuted into France on September 23rd 1943 as courier to a powerful circuit in south-western France and as liaison officer with a Resistance group numbering 1,000 men commanded by a French colonel. F/O Witheringron established excellent relations with the commander and played a large part in organizing and developing the group.

During the absence of her commanding officer from October 1943 to January 1944, Witherington took an active part in running the whole circuit, and was responsible for the safe keeping of several escaped airmen.

Shortly after his return to France, her commanding officer and his W/T operator were arrested by the Gestapo. In spite of sickness F/O Witherington undertook a number of dangerous journeys in order to warn outlying members of the organisation. She then very successfully took over command of one section of the circuit and helped to organise a maquis group in the Indre, acting as arms instructor and planning concerted attacks on enemy communications on D-Day. Soon after D-Day F/O Witherington's group was attacked by two thousand Germans, using artillery and maintaining the engagement for 10 hours. In this action the enemy lost 86 men and the maquis 24, but the Germans succeeded in their object of breaking up the group, and Witherington had to reorganise from the beginning. She organised 23 successful supply dropping operations and re-armed and reconstituted maquis then began guerilla action on a large scale, causing havoc among German columns passing through the area to the battle front.

Throughout her long tour of duty F/O Witherington showed outstanding devotion to duty and accomplished a most important task. Her control over the maquis group to which she was attached, complicated by political disagreements among the French was accomplished through her remarkable personality, her courage, steadfastness and tact.

It is strongly recommended that she be awarded the Military Cross. If ineligible, it is equally recommended that she be appointed an Officer of the British Empire (Military Division).

Was recommended for a Military Cross but deemed ineligible as a woman. She refused to offer of a civil MBE and was awarded the military MBE instead.