With £200 that she inherited from an aunt she travelled to New York and then London where she trained as a journalist.
When she was 16 years old she ran away from home. For a short period of time, she found work as a nurse.
While visiting Vienna as a journalist she witnessed the brutal harassment of Jewish people by Nazi gangs in the streets and became aware of the threat of the Nazis.
She moved to Paris to work as a journalist, but set up house in Marseilles after marrying Henri Fiocca, a French businessman.
Nancy arrived in England where after convincing the British Government to train her as a professional spy she began work in the French Section of the Special Operations Executive.
She worked with a secret group called the French Resistance. They helped soldiers and Jewish people hide and escape from the enemy.
Nancy had to flee France and go to Britain as she was the most wanted resistance leader by the Gestapos. There, she joined a secret group called the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Nancy parachuted back into France to help fighters in the mountains lead up to D-day.
Nancy married John Melvin Forward, a former RAF fighter pilot.
Nancy Wake lived a long life and died at the age of 98.
