NATIONS wage wars, but it is individuals who fight them.
And as a tribute the Royal Mail is issuing a set of stamps to honour men and women who made extraordinary contributions during the Second World War and whose actions saved lives, changed history and shaped Britain’s war effort.
Among the ten recipients being honoured is Violette Szabó, worked undercover in occupied France.
A museum dedicated to her life Violette Szabó, an Anglo-French spy, is based in Wormelow.
The Royal Mail stated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War is an opportunity to acknowledge just some of the remarkable men and women who made extraordinary contributions during the war.
Each of the 10 stamps in the main set features an image of the person being honoured, capturing their wartime role. A further four stamps pay tribute to the late Dame Vera Lynn.
Royal Mail worked with historian Professor Lucy Noakes on the stamp issue. Since 2017, she has been Rab Butler Professor of Modern History at the University of Essex and has served as the President of the Royal Historical Society since 2024.
Violette Szabo was born in Paris to British–French parents and grew up in both Picardy, France, and London and spent many summers at her aunt’s home in Wormelow. She also returned to this corner of Herefordshire during the war while she was recuperating from her ankle injury and between her two missions to France.
Violette joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service before volunteering for the Special Operations Executive in 1942. She undertook two missions to France for the executive and was captured after a fierce gun battle in 1944.
After interrogation in Paris, Szabó was transferred to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, where she was executed alongside her comrades Denise Bloch and Lilian Rolfe in February 1945. She was 23 years old and left behind a young daughter, Tania.
Mrs Szabó was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the Croix de Guerre with Star, and the Médaille de la Résistance.
Virgina McKenna played the part of Violette Szabo in the film Carve Her Name with Pride.
Rosemary Rigby, who runs the museum in Wormelow dedicated to Mrs Szabó, said she was delighted that the Royal Mail had honoured Violette with a special commemorative stamp and added: “I’ve known about this special stamp for over a year, but have been sworn to secrecy over it.
“I am truly delighted about this commemorative stamp. It’s a little extra something to highlight what Violette did for all of us especially, as it’s the 80th anniversary year in which she died.”
Emma Gilthorpe, chief executive of Royal Mail said: “Behind every victory of a nation, there are countless unsung heroes whose courage and sacrifice shaped the future of the world. “On VE Day, we remember not only the leaders and generals, but the silent warriors whose contributions echo through history.
The stamps go on general sale from May 1, along with a range of collectible products.