Flight Officer Beatrice Yvonne CORMEAU MBE Croix de Guerre avec Palme Légion d’Honneur WAAF, SOE Fluent French speaker from a childhood spent abroad; enlisted in WAAF in 1942, her husband having been killed in an air raid in 1940; recruited into SOE’s F Section and trained as a wireless operator. Parachuted to George Starr’s Wheelwright… Read More CORMEAU, Beatrice Yvonne

Major Peter Mant MacIntyre KEMP DSO Intelligence Corps, SOE Fought in the Spanish Civil War being wounded and decorated; joined the British Army then MI(R), December 1939: Participated in an abortive operation to Norway, April 1940; then to Spain and Portugal, June 1940; Stationed at Gibraltar until March 1942 then cross-Channel raids with the Small… Read More KEMP, Peter Mant MacIntyre

Major Anthony Morris BROOKS DSO MC Légion d’Honneur Croix de Guerre avec palme General List, SOE Fluent French speaker; in France 1939 to 1941; worked for an MI9 escape line until return to England via Spain, October 1941; recruited by SOE’s F Section, January 1942; parachuted to France to form the Pimento circuit, 30 June/1… Read More BROOKS, Anthony Morris

Those that served Captain John Devitt Stringfellow PENDLEBURY SOE An archaeologist resident in Crete before the war:  joined MI(R) and on 5 June 1940 was dispatched to Crete with cover as Vice-Consul at Candia but really to prepare resistance forces in readiness for an Axis invasion. Took part in the fighting for Heraklion on the… Read More PENDLEBURY, John Devitt Stringfellow

Group Captain Percy Charles PICKARD DSO**, DFC Those that served RAF Commissioned into RAF in 1937. Served in Bomber Command completing 30 sorties over Germany, Norway, France and Italy by mid-1941: once survived ditching in the North Sea.  Led RAF component of the Bruneval raid to capture German radar equipment, February 1942.  Commanded No. 161… Read More PICKARD, Percy Charles

Major Gustavus Henry MARCH-PHILLIPPS DSO, MBE Royal Artillery, SOE Joined SOE, March 1941: set up base in Poole Harbour for small scale cross-Channel raids: sailed the Brixham trawler Maid Honor to West Africa, August/September 1941.  Led Operation Postmaster, cutting out an Italian liner and two German tugs from Fernando Po, a neutral Spanish colonial port,… Read More MARCH-PHILLIPPS , Gustavus Henry

Those that served Major Hugh Paul SEAGRIM GC, DSO, MBE Burma Rifles, SOE   Burma Rifles, SOE Pre-war military service in Burma: seconded to Burma Levies, January 1942: supported by SOE Oriental Mission, raised a force of Karens in the Salween District: remained with them after Japanese invasion of Burma.   SOE’s India Mission dropped a… Read More SEAGRIM, Hugh Paul

Those that served Ensign Violette Reine Elizabeth SZABO GC, Croix de Guerre avec Palme WTS/FANY, SOE Joined SOE, F Section, August 1943: parachuted to France 5/6 April 1944 with Captain Philippe Liewer as his courier on a mission to investigate arrests in his Salesman circuit in Rouen and Le Havre.  Returned to UK by Lysander,… Read More SZABO, Violette Reine Elizabeth

Those that served Ensign Nancy Grace Augusta WAKE, GM, Légion d’Honneur, Medal of Freedom with bronze palm (US) WTS/FANY, SOE Pre-war a journalist and married to a French industrialist:  Joined the Pat MI9 escape line and assisted Allied evaders through the Unoccupied Zone to safety in Spain. Her activities became known to the Germans and she was… Read More WAKE, Nancy Grace Augusta

Those that served Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward YEO-THOMAS GC, MC* Légion d’Honneur, Croix de Guerre RAFVR, SOE Served with RAF in France 1939-40. Liaison officer with Free French and Polish air forces in UK: RF Section SOE staff officer, January 1942-February 1943. Parachuted into France on Seahorse Mission to assess Resistance: returned by Lysander, April 1943. … Read More YEO-THOMAS, Forest Frederick Edward