Vale Nancy Wake

A true war heroine. May she rest in peace. Should have been a Dame, not Companion of the Order of Australia.

QC, what is the significance of the "Vale?" Does that signify her indigenous heritage as a Maori or was it just some nickname like White Mouse?
 
Up until yesterday the RSA was agitating for her to get some NZ honours, which will now never happen. That's shameful.

She once commented that she wished she'd killed more Germans...now that's well hard.
 
AShould have been a Dame, not Companion of the Order of Australia.


We discontinued that back in the 80's. A companion = 'Eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large'. It's pretty big on the scale of things.

QC, what is the significance of the "Vale?" Does that signify her indigenous heritage as a Maori or was it just some nickname like White Mouse?

vale
n. 'farewell'. valediction, n. bidding farewell. valedictory, a.

Tough old duck, rest in peace Nancy.
 
Up until yesterday the RSA was agitating for her to get some NZ honours, which will now never happen. That's shameful.

She once commented that she wished she'd killed more Germans...now that's well hard.
She saw the Nazis at their worst and never forgot it. On the long bike ride she did she carried a string bag slung from the handle bars. As the checkpoints she passed through could see what was inside they had no reason to stop and search further. BTW Spitty would there be a posthumous award inthe offing?
 
She saw the Nazis at their worst and never forgot it. On the long bike ride she did she carried a string bag slung from the handle bars. As the checkpoints she passed through could see what was inside they had no reason to stop and search further. BTW Spitty would there be a posthumous award inthe offing?

I would doubt it to be honest mate. I think the main thing most governments have said is that she didn't spend long enough in NZ to be really considered an NZer. Which is understandable but at the end of the day we had a minor hand in the making of a great woman and she should have been recognised with *something* at least.

Unless National think there's a vote in it.
 
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