Eileen Nearne was captured three times by the Nazis in France Hundreds of mourners are expected at the funeral of a World War II heroine whose work as a British spy only became known after her death.
Eileen Nearne, 89, died in her home in Torquay, Devon, on 2 September, after suffering a heart attack.
It was only afterwards that friends and neighbours learned of her secret past.
As a young woman she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive and was captured by the Nazis in France but never talked about it.
Miss Nearne did not appear to have any known relatives when she died and the local council entered her flat a few days later so that funeral arrangements could be made.
A search for documents that might help locate her family instead yielded a treasure trove of medals and papers.
These revealed the life of a woman once known as Agent Rose who defied the Nazis as a wireless operator in occupied France.
The fluent French speaker was captured three times by the Germans and endured spells in concentration camps, managing to escape each time.
She was due to have a council funeral but these plans changed as a result of the publicity about her past.
Military charities donated cash and a local funeral director offered to fund a service more befitting a war heroine.
Representatives of the armed forces will attend the service at Our Lady Help of Christians and St Denis Roman Catholic Church in Torquay, with the last post due to be played by a French bugler.
Later Miss Nearne’s ashes will be scattered at sea.
Miss Nearne’s niece, who has since been traced but said she wished to remain anonymous, said: “I would like to thank everyone for their kind wishes and support at this very sad time.
“My aunt Eileen was a very private and modest person and without doubt she would be astounded by all the public and media attention.
“I hope that in death, she will be remembered along with other SOE Agents with pride and gratitude for the work they did both here and behind enemy lines during the Second World War.”
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