Wake was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1911, and moved to Australia when she was two. She ran away from home at the age of 16, and in 1935 went to London. She learned to be a journalist and worked in Paris. She married a rich factory owner, Henry Fioca in 1939. When the war started she became an ambulance driver. She soon became a part of a group led by Pat O'Leary (real name Albert Guérisse) which helped British soldiers escape from France. The Gestapo soon noticed her activities and she fled to Spain. Her husband was captured, tortured and shot dead.