Luitenant ter zee der 2de klasse Francien de Zeeuw (Terneuzen, 19 May 1922 – Middenbeemster, 8 September 2015)[1] was a Dutch resistance fighter during the Second World War and the first female member of the Dutch armed forces.

De Zeeuw was the middle of three children born to a house painter from Terneuzen in the Netherlands.

She provided information to the resistance network and also operated as a courier, carrying ration stamps and firearms.

She was detained on several occasions and, in 1944, evaded capture by moving through the front lines to meet up with Canadian forces.

[2] A woman's service of the Royal Dutch Navy, Marine Vrouwenafdeling [nl] (known as Marva) was established on 31 October 1944 and de Zeeuw is acknowledged as its first recruit.