Read on Twitter
Can I take a moment to introduce you to this lady? @DermotNCosgrove may already know her story...
Susan Mary Gillian Travers was born in England in 1909, the daughter of an Admiral in the Royal Navy.
When World War II broke out, she joined the French Red Cross as a nurse, then moved on to become an ambulance driver.
When World War II broke out, she joined the French Red Cross as a nurse, then moved on to become an ambulance driver.
After the fall of France, she joined DeGaulle's Free French, and became the driver for a medical doctor in the 1st Free French Brigade during combat in Syria and Lebanon, then was transferred to the 13e demi-brigade de Légion étrangère, driving the medical officer.
The 13th Demi-Brigade was incorporated into the 1st Brigade of the 1st Free French Division. The Commander of the 1st Brigade was Colonel Marie-Pierre Koenig. Travers was assigned as his driver, and they became lovers.
Travers drove Colonel Koenig across North Africa, into often dangerous situations. One time, at Bir Hakeim, the roof of her car was blown off during heavy Axis shelling. Travers fixed it herself with the help of a Vietnamese driver.
On the night of 10-11 June, 1941, the French evacuated Bir Hakeim. Travers led the column out, through German minefields and machine gun fire.
Travers later reported: "It is a delightful feeling, going as fast as you can in the dark. My main concern was that the engine would stall." When they reached British lines, her car had 11 bullet holes in it. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Colonel Koenig was promoted to General, and left to return to assume another command (and his marriage). Travers stayed, switching from driving a car to a self-propelled anti-tank gun.
She continued to fight across Italy and France, where she was wounded when she drove over a land mine.
When the hostilities in Europe ended, Susan Travers applied for and was accepted into the military ranks of the French Foreign Legion at the rank of Adjudant-Chef. She served in Indochina, and married another Legionnaire, Adjudant-Chef Nicolas Schlegelmilch.
The couple retired to Paris, and raised two sons. Shortly after her husband died, she was honored with the Legion of Honor, France's highest military award. Adjudant-Chef Travers passed away in 2003, at the age of 94.
When asked about why she chose the life of a soldier, she had a simple explanation: ''My family was very dull, England was very dull...I wanted adventure. I wanted more action.''
Here's a short documentary (in French) about her life in the Legion.
