Danish WWII Resistance Leader Honored with Blue Plaque in Derrylin
A blue plaque is set to be unveiled at the Kinawley Parish Church in Derrylin to commemorate Monica de Wichfeld (nee Massy-Beresford), a Danish World War II resistance leader who hailed from the area. The unveiling ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, will be attended by Lady Dunleath of Ballywalter, Co. Down.
Monica Massy-Beresford was born on July 12, 1894, in London and spent her early years at St Hubert’s Geaglum, her family’s Irish home in Derrylin. However, her peaceful life was disrupted by the outbreak of World War I, during which she witnessed the loss of her cousins and friends.
In 1915, Monica left her comfortable life behind and took on a job in a soldier’s canteen in London’s East End. The following year, she married Jorgen Wichfeld, a Danish diplomat, and they moved to Denmark. Monica became a Danish citizen, and together they had three children.
During World War II, Monica secretly joined the Danish resistance without her husband’s knowledge. She eventually became the leader of the resistance in Lolland, with their estate, Engestofte, serving as the central hub for recruiting, training, arming, and planning resistance actions.
Tragically, Monica’s name was betrayed to the Gestapo in 1944 by one of her comrades. Along with six others, she was arrested, tried by a Nazi court, and sentenced to death. Monica was transferred to Waldheim Prison Concentration Camp in Germany, where her health deteriorated rapidly. She passed away on February 27, 1945, just one month before the war ended, and her body was never recovered.
Chris Spurr, chairman of the Ulster History Circle, expressed gratitude to the Ulster-Scots Agency for their financial support and to Rev. Alastair Donaldson, the rector of Kinawley and Holy Trinity group of parishes, for their assistance in commemorating Monica de Wichfeld. Spurr emphasized that while Monica spent her early years in Co. Fermanagh and later lived across Europe, it was in Denmark during World War II that she became a heroine, deserving recognition with a blue plaque.
The Ulster History Circle aims to honor Monica’s legacy and her contribution to the Danish resistance by commemorating her on Armistice Day, providing a lasting tribute to her inspiring life and courageous actions.
