Mona Louise Parsons
Encyclopedia
Mona Louise Parsons actress, nurse, member of Dutch resistance. Mona Parsons was a member of the Dutch resistance
and became the only Canadian woman to be imprisoned by the Nazis. She received a commendation for her participation in the resistance from Air Chief Marshall Lord Arthur Tedder
of the Royal Air Force
, was on behalf of the British people, thanking her for her role in aiding members of the Allied forces to evade capture. The second was signed by General Dwight Eisenhower, expressing the gratitude of the American people.
in Nova Scotia, Parsons attended the Currie School of Expression
in Boston She briefly taught elocution at Conway Central College in Conway, Arkansas
. She studied acting and moved to New York City in 1929, where she became a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl
. She later became a nurse after attending the Jersey School of Medicine. In 1937 Parsons married a Dutch national Willem Leonhardt. The couple moved to Laren
, Netherlands
.
. Similar to the famous, Corrie ten Boom
, Parsons sheltered downed allied airmen in her home. When she joined the resistance, she dismissed her servants to make room for the pilots. She maintained a “hiding place” for the airmen in the event that her home be visited by the Nazis. Once the pilots left Parson’s home they were transported to fishing boats in Leiden, which would take the British to the North Sea to rendezvous with British submarines that would take the flyers back to England. The number of allied pilots she saved in unknown. The last airmen she hid happened for six days in September 1941. She sheltered Flight Engineer
William 'Jock' Moir and Navigator Richard Pape, the latter becoming famous for a book he wrote about his experience during the war. The two airmen were caught by the Nazis in Leiden.
Mona Parsons' biographer Andria Hill asserts Parsons was arrested in her home on September 29, 1941 and spent four years in prison. She was first taken to Weteringschan Prison in Amsterdam (present day Holland Casino). Within the first month she made a failed escape with a friend who was executed. Parsons was then sent to Amstelveense Prison. On March 6, 1942 Parsons was taken with several other prisoners to a train station, where she was told that she was being moved to the Anrath Prison in Nazi Germany
. Parsons was transferred to Wiedenbruck
, where she worked on an assembly line creating plywood wings for small craft, then on a line assembling igniters for bombs. She became ill with bronchitis
several times, and when put in the infirmary, was tasked with knitting socks for German soldiers. On February 6, 1945, the prisoners at Wiedenbruck were herded onto a train bound for another prison in Vechta
. Close by were two hospitals, an airfield and a major train junction. Parsons was put to work both in the prison and on occasional details outside, to take food from the prison kitchen to wounded soldiers and other patients in the hospitals. Parsons writes:
On March 24, 1945, as the allied forces bombed the prison camp, Parsons escaped. She evaded capture for three weeks, in which she walked approximately 125 km through Nazi Germany, until she stumbled across the North Nova Scotia Highlanders at Vlagtwedde
, Holland. Two of the Highlanders were from Wolfville, Nova Scotia
and knew Parsons.
(near the Chester Golf Club). Foster died in 1964; Parsons eventually moved back to Wolfville, Nova Scotia
in 1970, where she remained until her death. She is buried at the Willowbank Cemetery, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
and became the only Canadian woman to be imprisoned by the Nazis. She received a commendation for her participation in the resistance from Air Chief Marshall Lord Arthur Tedder
Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, GCB was a senior British air force commander. During the First World War, he was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps and he went on to serve as a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the inter-war...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, was on behalf of the British people, thanking her for her role in aiding members of the Allied forces to evade capture. The second was signed by General Dwight Eisenhower, expressing the gratitude of the American people.
Early Years
Parson’s was born in Middleton, Nova Scotia. Upon graduating with a certificate in ElocutionElocution
Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone.-History:In Western classical rhetoric, elocution was one of the five core disciplines of pronunciation, which was the art of delivering speeches. Orators were trained not only on proper diction, but on the proper...
in Nova Scotia, Parsons attended the Currie School of Expression
Curry College
Curry College is a private liberal arts-based institution in Milton, Massachusetts that started as the School of Elocution in 1879.-History:...
in Boston She briefly taught elocution at Conway Central College in Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
. She studied acting and moved to New York City in 1929, where she became a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. She later became a nurse after attending the Jersey School of Medicine. In 1937 Parsons married a Dutch national Willem Leonhardt. The couple moved to Laren
Laren
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called 't Gooi, it is the oldest town in that area. It is one of the richest towns in the Netherlands, along with its neighbour Blaricum...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
World War 2
According to Laura Nielson, after the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, Parsons joined the Dutch resistanceDutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
. Similar to the famous, Corrie ten Boom
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian, who with her father and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Her family was arrested due to an informant in 1944, and her father died 10 days later at Scheveningen prison where they were first held...
, Parsons sheltered downed allied airmen in her home. When she joined the resistance, she dismissed her servants to make room for the pilots. She maintained a “hiding place” for the airmen in the event that her home be visited by the Nazis. Once the pilots left Parson’s home they were transported to fishing boats in Leiden, which would take the British to the North Sea to rendezvous with British submarines that would take the flyers back to England. The number of allied pilots she saved in unknown. The last airmen she hid happened for six days in September 1941. She sheltered Flight Engineer
Flight engineer
Flight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...
William 'Jock' Moir and Navigator Richard Pape, the latter becoming famous for a book he wrote about his experience during the war. The two airmen were caught by the Nazis in Leiden.
Mona Parsons' biographer Andria Hill asserts Parsons was arrested in her home on September 29, 1941 and spent four years in prison. She was first taken to Weteringschan Prison in Amsterdam (present day Holland Casino). Within the first month she made a failed escape with a friend who was executed. Parsons was then sent to Amstelveense Prison. On March 6, 1942 Parsons was taken with several other prisoners to a train station, where she was told that she was being moved to the Anrath Prison in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Parsons was transferred to Wiedenbruck
Rheda-Wiedenbrück
Rheda-Wiedenbrück is a town in the district of Gütersloh, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Rheda-Wiedenbrück is located on the river Ems, approx. 10 km south-west of Gütersloh.-Neighbouring municipalities:* Oelde* Herzebrock-Clarholz...
, where she worked on an assembly line creating plywood wings for small craft, then on a line assembling igniters for bombs. She became ill with bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
several times, and when put in the infirmary, was tasked with knitting socks for German soldiers. On February 6, 1945, the prisoners at Wiedenbruck were herded onto a train bound for another prison in Vechta
Vechta
Vechta with a population of nearly 32,000 is the biggest city and also the capital of the Vechta district in Lower Saxony, Germany.It's well known all around Europe for the 'Stoppelmarkt' fair, which occurs every summer and has a history dating back to 1298....
. Close by were two hospitals, an airfield and a major train junction. Parsons was put to work both in the prison and on occasional details outside, to take food from the prison kitchen to wounded soldiers and other patients in the hospitals. Parsons writes:
- The first year I was ill a lot, weighed only about 94 pounds & was green - night sweats, coughing & diarrhoea every day for 3 ½ months & often vomiting. Tears have run down my cheeks for hunger. When the diarrhoea got better I was given a pint of soup extra - made from turnip & potato peelings - every day for 6 months & my vitamin tablets which I had been allowed to keep with me. There were no medicines to be had. We slept four in a tiny cell built for one. In all the years of imprisonment I slept always on a straw sack on the floor.
- I was in solitary once for two weeks, for writing a letter in English. Fortunately no one could read English, otherwise another prisoner might have been involved. I got out of it by saying it was only a little story I was writing to amuse myself. We were not allowed to have pencil or paper. Practically 4 years of isolation. During my first contact with people - after throwing off my half-witted act - I felt only half conscious of all that went on about me. My body was shaky - my brain seemed quite numb - thoroughly incapable of absorbing what was said to me. My head spun. It just seemed too much, all of a sudden. We'd had literally no brain stimulation all these years - we were forbidden to talk during our 12 hour working day - at night too tired to do anything but crawl into bed. Even when we weren't too tired to talk - we'd have little to talk about. We heard no news scarcely. We were not even allowed to have books.
On March 24, 1945, as the allied forces bombed the prison camp, Parsons escaped. She evaded capture for three weeks, in which she walked approximately 125 km through Nazi Germany, until she stumbled across the North Nova Scotia Highlanders at Vlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde
Vlagtwedde is a municipality in the very southeast of Groningen province in the northeastern Netherlands with seat of local government in the community of Sellingen...
, Holland. Two of the Highlanders were from Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
and knew Parsons.
Nova Scotia
Parsons and her husband Leonhardt were reunited after the war, but he never fully recovered from his imprisonment and died in 1956. Parsons returned to Nova Scotia in 1957, where she became reacquainted with a childhood friend, Harry Foster. They married in 1959 and lived in Lobster Point, Chester, Nova ScotiaChester, Nova Scotia
Chester is an incorporated Canadian village located in and part of Nova Scotia's Chester Municipal District in the southeastern part of Lunenburg County.-History:...
(near the Chester Golf Club). Foster died in 1964; Parsons eventually moved back to Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
in 1970, where she remained until her death. She is buried at the Willowbank Cemetery, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Links
- Mona Parsons - Official Website
- Canadian Encyclopedia - Mona Parsons
- http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=14740Historica Minute - Docudrama, Sonja SmitsSonja SmitsSonja Smits is a television actress who has played roles in many television series, including Falcon Crest, Airwolf, Odyssey 5, The Outer Limits, Street Legal, Traders and The Eleventh Hour.She also played Bianca O'Blivion in the David Cronenberg horror movie, Videodrome.Sonja went to Bell High...
stars as Mona Parsons]