Comments: Nurse based at Ucles. 'Nurse Madge Addy, who was a member of the British Medical Unit in Spain from the beginning of March 1938, stayed on in Ucles, the evacuation hospital on the Madrid front, until the bitter end. After extreme hardships and perils, she succeeded in returning to England on June 30th last, via San Sebastian and Hendaye - and that only after the Spanish Medical Aid Committee had intervened with the British Foreign Office to secure her a visa.' In WW2 joined SOE and worked undercover in France. Awarded OBE in January 1946, for which the citation said: 'Mrs. Holst was in Paris, where her Norwegian husband Wilhelm Holst was engaged on relief work, when the Germans broke through in 1940, and subsequently moved from there to Marseilles. Here she got in touch with Captain Garrow, who had organised the first British escape route from France to Spain. Mrs. Holst visited Lisbon with her husband and brought important information from the organisation. On subsequent trips, travelling as a Norwegian subject, she was obliged to fly by German civil aircraft, carrying information sewn in the lining of her coat. During one of her visits to Lisbon, Mrs. Holst was taught the use of secret inks for communication by post, and by this method continued to send from France regular despatches regarding the escape organisation. Demonstrating great coolness and bravery in conducting her dangerous work, Mrs. Holst never hesitated to undertake any task assigned to her.' Died in Hendon as Marguerite Hansen.
