A NEW portrait of Violette Szabo, a wartime spy and national heroine, was unveiled on Friday, January 24, at the Pilgrim Hotel in Much Birch.

The portrait now hangs in the Violette Szabo Suite, honouring her remarkable bravery during World War II.

The event was led by Rosemary Rigby, who has dedicated much of her life to preserving Szabo’s legacy.

Ms Rigby, who created a unique museum about Szabo in Wormelow, near Ross-on-Wye, shared the incredible story of how her former holiday cottage became a hub for honouring the French-born British secret agent.

Szabo was renowned for her daring undercover missions in Nazi-occupied France during the war. Tragically, she was captured and executed in 1945 at just 23 years old.

Speaking at the unveiling, Ms Rigby reflected on Szabo's courage and the hardships faced by agents in Churchill’s Special Operations Executive: “They had no protection under the Geneva Convention, and once captured, they could be treated however the enemy wished. Violette and her companions paid the ultimate price for their bravery.”

Ms Rigby also described the harrowing final days of Szabo and two fellow agents, Denise Bloch and Lilian Rolfe, who were executed at Ravensbrück concentration camp.

After the ceremony, the artist behind the portrait, Janet FitzPatrick (known as JanHann), surprised Ms Rigby with a special plaque to be displayed alongside the portrait.

The plaque honours Ms Rigby’s tireless efforts to preserve the memory of Szabo and her wartime colleagues.

Ms FitzPatrick shared the inspiration behind the plaque: “As I made my way home from the memorial service in November 2020, I began to reminisce about Rosemary Rigby and all the years she has spent maintaining the memories of fearless Violette and others who lost their lives in World War II. Suddenly, a vision of Violette came to me, telling me how proud she was of Rosemary for keeping her memory and that of her colleagues alive. Violette told me, ‘At this time 80 years ago, I died. Yet I have never died, nor have my colleagues, because we have been reborn through Rosemary.’”

The plaque reads: In honour of Rosemary E. Rigby MBE, for helping to maintain the memories of those who lost their lives in the world wars, together with the courageous local Violette Szabo GC—history never to be forgotten.

The unveiling and dedication marked the beginning of a significant year of remembrance, with 2025 being the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Ms Rigby invited attendees to join her at further commemorative events, including Szabo’s special day on July 13 at the Wormelow museum.

“Violette’s story is one of incredible courage,” Ms Rigby said. “Her sacrifice and that of others like her remind us of the cost of freedom. This portrait, and now this plaque, are fitting tributes to her legacy.”

For those interested in learning more, the Violette Szabo Museum in Wormelow offers a unique insight into the life of this extraordinary woman and her contributions to the war effort.