​​Sister Agnès Marie Valois, born on 30 June 1914, was a French Roman Catholic religious sister and nurse whose bravery during WWII became legendary. Trained by the Red Cross, she became a nurse in 1936 and, by 1942, was serving at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Rouen, at the time under German occupation.

​On 19 August 1942, the Allies launched the Dieppe Raid, a failed assault on the German-held French port. Around 6,100 troops, mostly Canadians, took part. The operation ended in disaster: over half were killed or captured, many of them seriously wounded. The overwhelmed local hospital in Dieppe could not cope, and many injured soldiers were transported by lorry to Hôtel-Dieu, where Sister Agnès and nine other Augustinian nuns worked.

​Despite the hospital being run by the German military, Sister Agnès defied direct orders to treat German soldiers first. Armed guards once even pointed a gun at her, but she refused to be intimidated. “Regardless of rank, regardless of nation,” remembered veteran Hardy Wheeler, “she treats those who needed help the most.”

​Her insistence on treating the most critical cases—no matter which side they fought on—saved numerous lives. Canadian soldier Edwin Bennett, blinded by shrapnel, later credited her for saving his sight. “It was wonderful to hear a woman’s voice, someone who was comforting,” he recalled. “I’ll always remember her voice.”

​Sister Agnès became known among Canadian troops as the ‘White Angel’ or ‘Angel of Dieppe,’ and her legacy endured in stories told by the soldiers she saved. In recognition of her extraordinary courage and humanity, she was awarded the Ordre National du Mérite in 1992 and the Légion d’Honneur in 1996.

​Until her passing in 2018 at the age of 103, Sister Agnès remained connected to Dieppe Raid commemorations, often reuniting with the veterans she once cared for.