Erica O'Donnell
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11 March 1920
Erica Marie-Josèphe Kisielewski [1]
Erica O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Erica Marie-Josèphe O'Donnell 11 March 1920 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 12 March 1999 (aged 79) London, UK |
| Other names | Erica Kisielewski Erica Marie-Josèphe Kisielewski [1] |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | Founder and director of the Study Centre for the History of the Fine and Decorative Arts |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Erica O'Donnell MBE (11 March 1920 – 12 March 1999) was an Irish art historian and SOE officer, known for founding and directing the Study Centre for the History of the Fine and Decorative Arts at the Courtauld Institute of Art.[2]
Erica Marie-Josèphe O'Donnell was born in Dublin on 11 March 1920. Her parents were Eric Hugh and Mary Mabel Elizabeth O'Donnell (née Dunbar), she was their only child. Her father was a British army officer of Dublin and Ballingaddy, County Limerick, and served with distinction in France and the Balkans during World War I. Her maternal grandfather was Joseph Charles Dunbar of Cork and Ceylon. O'Donnell attended St. Mary's Convent in Ascot, Berkshire from 1929 to 1935, going on to study the history of art, entering the Courtauld Institute in 1937. She travelled during her studies, living in Paris and Salzburg, and travelling to Germany. She returned to England after the outbreak of World War II. As she was fluent in German and French, she was hired as part of the BBC's overseas service in Evesham.[2]
Work during World War II
O'Donnell was recruited by MI5 due to her multilingualism and knowledge of Europe. She was appointed to the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in September 1940 to work in the headquarters of the Czech section, and given the rank of officer. Here she was in charge of training Czech agents, as well as liaising with officials in the Ministry of Economic Warfare and the Political Warfare Executive. She was transferred to the French section in March 1944, going on to work with the headquarters of the French Forces of the Interior. Her obituary in The Times claimed she parachuted into German-occupied territory, but this is not corroborated by her official SOE file. She left the SOE in December 1944 to work with the Red Cross, caring for survivors of concentration camps.[2]
