Irish woman Kathleen “Kay” Summersby drove Eisenhower in WWII

Kathleen MacCarthy Morrogh, born near Schull, Co Cork on 23 November 1908, served as personal driver to Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D Eisenhower during the Second World War.

Known as “Kay Summersby” in army circles, the Irish‑born driver accompanied Eisenhower on missions across North Africa, Tunisia, Italy and England, as highlighted in a US Army photograph that describes her as “an Irish girl from County Cork”.

Her wartime service extended beyond driving; she previously worked as an ambulance driver during the London Blitz, witnessing bodies in a cinema‑turned‑morgue. In December 1942 she survived the torpedoing of the troopship *Strathallan* by a German U‑boat, an eight‑hour ordeal in which the ammunition‑laden vessel exploded and sank.

Summersby’s role is depicted in the drama *Pressure*, which portrays a scene where she briefs meteorologist Group Captain James Stagg on her experience before D‑Day. Although the series omits any romantic implication, it emphasizes her “cool‑headed efficiency, resourcefulness and compassion”.

Historical records, including a 1970s documentary of *The World at War*, note that she met Eisenhower at 4.15 am on 5 June 1944, shortly before the D‑Day invasion, hearing him declare, “D‑Day is on, nothing can stop us now.”

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Adrien Olichon / Pexels.