Violette Morris

French athlete (1893–1944)

Morris had her breasts removed by a mastectomy, which she claimed was in order to fit into racing cars more easily. She mainly competed in cyclecar endurance races and used a Benjamin cyclecar. She won the 1927 Bol d'Or 24 hour car race at the wheel of a B. N. C.

In January 1933 Morris moved into a houseboat, La Mouette, with her partner, Yvonne de Bray, which was moored on the Seine at Pont de Neuilly in northwest Paris near the Bois de Boulogne. Living off inheritance annuities, she took up lyrical singing and was successful enough in the hobby to be broadcast performing on the wireless. On Christmas Eve 1937, while having dinner with friends and neighbors Robert and Simone de Trobriand at a restaurant in Neuilly, the trio encountered a drunk and aggressive young man named Joseph Le Cam. The unemployed ex Legionnaire became embroiled in a heated argument with Simone de Trobriand. Morris was able to calm the man after some time. The following evening, after more drinking in Montmartre, Le Cam arrived at Morris' houseboat and another argument took place, this time between Morris and Le Cam. Le Cam left the houseboat, but soon returned after seeing Simone de Trobriand boarding La Mouette. They had argued the night before and Le Cam rushed back to the houseboat, brandishing a knife, and threatened both Morris and de Trobriand. Morris pushed Le Cam several times before he lunged at her and she produced a 7.65mm revolver. Morris fired four shots, the first two into the air, the following two at Le Cam. During World War II and the German occupation of France, Morris served as a collaborator for the Nazis and Vichy France. The nature of her alleged collaboration varies. Some, such as writer Raymond Ruffin, claim that one of her main responsibilities during the war was to foil the operation of the Special Operations Executive, a British run organisation that helped the Resistance. He also suggested that, in addition to being a spy for the Nazis, she would have been involved in the torture of suspects during interrogation. Morris is the title character in Gérard de Cortanze's Femme qui court, which won the 2019 fr for best historical novel.