What does the word courage exactly mean? It means the ability to do something that frightens something or someone.
I am Avni Karmarkar going to tell you a story of a woman named “Virginia Hall.”
Once upon a time, there was a woman with a wooden leg. Her name was Virginia, and she called her leg Cuthbert. Though she walked with a limp, Virginia was amazingly determined. When the second world war broke out, she joined the British Special Forces and set off across the English Channel to help the France Resistance fight the Nazis.
Virginia was a master of disguise. One time, she pretended to be an elderly milkmaid. She dyed her hair grey, put on a long skirt, and shuffled along so that nobody could see she had a limp. She sent out secret radio messages telling the Allies about German troop movements. It was hazardous, and Virginia knew that she would be tortured and killed if she were discovered. But she carried on regardless.
As she was known, the limping lady was considered the most dangerous of all Allied spies. Nazi secret police put wanted posters all over France, but Virginia always stayed one step ahead of them.
Once, she almost died crossing the Pyrenees Mountains on foot in the middle of Winter. She Radioed a message to London: “Having trouble with Cuthbert.” They did not realize she was talking about her leg. “If Cuthbert is giving you difficulty,” they replied, “Have him eliminated!”
By the end of the war, The Limping Lady’s team was destroyed four bridges, derailed several freight trains, blown up a railway line, cut down telephone wires, and captured hundreds of enemy soldiers. Virginia was declared America’s most outstanding female spy and received a medal for her bravery.
Name: Avni Karmarkar
Grade: 5C
Billabong High International School, Thane
