Life Story

Madeleine Lavingne was a French national recruited in the eld go

to join the Special Operations Executive. She was born Madeleine

Rejeuny, the daughter of parents Antonia Debois and Albery Rejauny

- a fabric designer from Lyon. As a result of her father’s trade

she developed an interest in that area - one of her hobbies on her

recruitment documents was listed as dressmaking, along with tennis,

boating and music. She was employed in the local Mairie before the

war, which made her an ideal recruit. She married Marcel Lavigne

when she was 19 years old and had two children. After Madeleine’s

recruitment her sons remained with their father until he was captured

and became a Prisoner of War, when they went to live with their

grandparents. He was repatriated in 1943 and they divorced.

She was recuited in the eld by SOE to join a British circuit in the Lyon

areas as a courier and forging documents. Her position in the mairie

meant she was able to lend money to the local resistance circuit and

used her job to forge documents. She had married young and had two

boys. Lavigne began traveling as a courier for the SOE in 1943. Her

appearance was described by her SOE colleague, Robert Boiteux,

as “unexceptional.” She had “untapped intelligence” and was noted

for “careful following of instructions.” She spoke little or no English.

In January 1944 Lavigne and another agent Borosch realised that

the French police were attempting to arrest them, and requested

evacuation. Along with several other compromised SOE agents they