‘What’s your definition of a secret?’

This opening line from Lost Property, the second novel in the Janie Juke crime mystery series, introduces a theme that runs throughout the book – a theme of secrets and lies.

At the heart of the novel readers are introduced to the secret organisation that was said to have helped win the Second World War for the Allies – the Special Operation Executive.

Known as ‘Churchill’s Secret Army’, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was formed on 22 July 1940, to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe, as well as to help local resistance movements.

Few people were aware of the existence of the SOE, even though it directly employed or controlled just over 13,000 people, about 3,200 of whom were women. Stories have emerged in recent years confirming that those involved with the SOE often did not even tell their loved ones.  British propaganda campaigns, such as, ‘Careless talk cost lives’ were stark reminders that the wrong word in the wrong ear could create devastation.

To those who were part of the SOE or who liaised with it, it was sometimes referred to as ‘the Baker Street Irregulars’, because of the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as the “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”. Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the ‘Joint Technical Board’ or the ‘Inter-Service Research Bureau’, or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office.

One of the organisations from which SOE was created was also involved in the formation of the Auxiliary Units, a top secret ‘stay-behind’ resistance organisation which would have been activated in the event of a Germany invading Britain.

Agents of the SOE demonstrated incredible courage and resourcefulness in their guerrilla war, often being sent on a mission at short notice, never knowing if they would return. Their approach to warfare included blowing up trains, bridges and factories, as well as fostering revolt and guerrilla warfare in enemy-occupied countries.

After completing a gruelling training regime, SOE agents were parachuted into occupied Europe and eastern Asia to work with resistance movements. Many were serving soldiers, often with commando training, but others joined directly from civilian life.

Women also joined up. Some were enlisted in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) to disguise their secret work and they became the only women permitted a combat role during the Second World War.

Unlike other special forces, SOE operatives usually wore civilian clothes, which meant they could expect to be shot as spies if captured. They also risked torture by German Gestapo operatives trying to extract information. Just as the military who formed the front lines, SOE operatives were often young, in their early twenties, and yet frequently their lives would be cut short. The average life expectancy of an SOE wireless operator in occupied France was just six weeks.

Yvonne Cormeau was luckier than most.  She worked as a wireless operator, having been parachuted into France in August 1943. She managed to send a record of 400 transmissions in 13 months – the highest of any SOE wireless operator.

Ben Cowburn was one of the most successful SOE agents in France. He completed four separate missions between 1941 and 1944 and served the longest period in France of any active SOE agent.

One of his most successful missions was a sabotage operation to destroy six railway engines at Troyes. But he also engaged in unusual ways to make life difficult for the Germans. On one occasion, he arranged for a consignment of itching powder to be left with a local laundry and sprinkled into German uniforms.

But he was aware that his work could put people in danger.

‘We had to recruit people…shoving the whole lot into danger, men, women, girls, boys and not just them but a number of their friends….it was really a very, very heavy responsibility and it weighed me down quite a lot,’ he said.

After the war, he received the Legion d’Honneur – the highest honour France can bestow on anybody, civilian or military.

After the war, the SOE was officially dissolved on 15 January 1946 and decades later, in October 2009, a memorial to SOE’s agents was unveiled on the Albert Embankment in London, which you can see at the top of this blog post.

In Lost Property we gain an insight into the rollercoaster of emotions that must have affected everyone involved in such dangerous missions.  In this extract, Hugh Furness tells Janie about his experience as an RAF pilot…

‘When the conditions were right, I would be tasked to fly an operative into northern France. The French resistance was doing a marvellous job in the face of terrific danger, and the SOE gave us a chance to help them.’

‘So the people you flew in, the operatives, what did they have to do?’

‘We were never told. You have to understand this was a secret organisation. Everything was on a need to know basis. All I ever needed to know was where and when. Flights were planned around the moon period.’

My frown encourages him to explain.

‘They often chose the days just before or after the full moon. It helped us with navigation and meant we could spot anything that might hamper our landing, like a river running through the middle of a field. Members of the resistance would be there at the meeting point, and they would take the Joe away.’

‘The Joe?’

‘That’s how we referred to the operatives. We knew them as Joe. No names, no pack drill.’ He stops speaking and draws a few deeper breaths. I reassure him that he doesn’t have to tell me now, the rest of the story can wait until he is stronger. Although in reality, I wonder if he ever will be stronger. Right now, it seems doubtful.

‘One night I was given my orders. A sortie was planned for twenty-two hundred hours. I prepared the plane and waited. The Joe arrived and as they climbed up into position, I caught a glimpse of a face. It was a moment that will live with me forever.’

His eyes are open now, staring straight ahead. Sweat appears on his forehead and he seems unable to continue.

‘Who was it, Hugh? Did you recognise the person?’

He nods and in a whisper he says, ‘Yes, it was the woman I loved.’

Lost Property is available in ebook, paperback and audiobook.

To explore the topic further, take a look at the following websites, which I also thank for the information provided here:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/57804

http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/seven-stories-from-special-operations-executive

ww.nam.ac.uk/explore/special-operations-executive

My next post goes behind the scenes of Waiting for Sunshine, a Sussex Crime novella, where we learn how a child’s struggles to come to terms with a complex world changes her life forever.

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