Mona Parsons

Ziegfeld girl, resistance fighter, and unlikely war hero

Some life stories are so astounding they seem almost fictional – and Mona Parsons’ (1901 – 1976) is one of them. A Nova Scotian by birth, she lived a life that spanned stages, hospitals, courtrooms, prison cells, and escape routes, with courage and resourcefulness at every turn.

Mona was born in Middleton, Nova Scotia in 1901. She attended Acadia University and had a lifelong passion for the stage. In 1929, she moved to New York City and joined the glamorous –and highly selective – Ziegfeld Follies as a chorus girl. Her flair for performance would later prove to be a surprising asset.

In 1935, she trained as a nurse at the Jersey School of Medicine. Two years later, she met Dutch businessman Willem Leonhardt. They married and settled in the Netherlands on the eve of the Second World War.

When Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Mona and Willem became part of a resistance network that sheltered Allied airmen. Their efforts were eventually discovered, and in 1941, both were arrested by the Gestapo. They were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Mona’s sentence was later commuted to hard labour – but she would not see her husband again for nearly four years.

She was imprisoned under harsh conditions and forced to work in German hospitals, at a local airfield, and on railway lines constantly under Allied bombardment. To survive, she stole food when she could, and used her intelligence and resolve to maintain hope.

While imprisoned, Mona befriended a 22-year-old Dutch resistance member. Together, they plotted an escape, and in early 1945, amid the chaos of Allied offensives, they fled. Drawing on her acting experience, Mona posed as mentally challenged to mask her poor German and avoid suspicion.

She walked over 150 kilometres through cold and wet conditions before she and her companion were separated. By the time she reached the Dutch-German border, her feet were infected, she had lost two toenails, and her weight had dropped to 85 pounds.

A Dutch farmer helped her reach Canadian troops – who, in an extraordinary twist, were members of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, from Mona’s own home province. She was finally free.

Mona was reunited with Willem, who had survived but never fully recovered. He died in 1956. Mona received citations from both General Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Royal Air Force commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. She died in 1976 and was buried in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

In 2023, Canada Post honoured her with a commemorative stamp – a long-overdue recognition of a woman who defied all expectations and became one of Canada’s most remarkable wartime figures.