Annual Booklist 2022 : Dr Kate Vigurs
Dr Kate Vigurs is a professional freelance historian whose recent book Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE (Yale University Press, 2021) was shortlisted for the Templer Best First Book Prize.
My top five book recommendations on the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the Second World War are:
MRD Foot, SOE in France (1966 & 1968)
Foot’s official history of SOE F section, entitled SOE in France, was printed in 1966 with an amended edition produced in 1968. In the preface to the book Foot gave a brief outline of its origins: ‘The project derives from the continuing concern expressed, both in parliament and outside it, that there should be an accurate and dispassionate account of SOE’s activities in the war of 1939–1945. This concern led Harold Macmillan, while Prime Minister, to authorise some research. In the Foreign Office…it was determined to find out whether a study could be written of what SOE did in France’.
The writing of such a book was unprecedented as it: ‘constitutes the first officially sponsored account of a British secret service made available to the general public’ and Foot had access to SOE files and limited access to ex-SOE personnel: The book was officially considered a ‘companion volume to the official histories’ of the Second World War, and described later by Foot himself as a ‘quasi-official’ history. SOE in France was considered, amongst SOE veterans, to be the most thoroughly researched study of SOE F section.
Foot’s tome deals with all aspects of SOE’s work in France, explaining what the origins of SOE were and how it worked in France. It also describes the activities of the agents who worked for F section, detailing their sabotages, successes with the Resistance, and notable individual stories. Foot is somewhat critical of the way in which their stories had been portrayed by the press and believes that some women’s success and experiences had been exaggerated, whilst others had been ignored. Foot’s book is a comprehensive study and provides a thorough overview of SOE’s work in France. It is striking as it entered public discussion at the point where historical record and public contention meets. As such it still provides a source that is debated as much today as it was when it was written over 60 years ago.
Anne Marie Walters, Moondrop to Gascony (1946)
Moondrop to Gascony is the autobiography of SOE F section agent Anne Marie Walters who was parachuted into France on 4th January 1944 to work as a courier to the Wheelwright circuit. In this book she did not attempt to make her work seem glamorous, nor did she over sell her achievements as an agent; her writing style is plain and sincere. In 1947 the book was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys prize for literature. SOE historian MRD Foot commented that: ‘it communicates vividly the hectic life of the Maquis,’ although his access to files enabled him to notice: ‘some pardonable exaggerations’ and Mark Seaman comments that: ‘eschewing the temptation to over glamorise the clandestine life, the book has a freshness not often to be found in published accounts of other agents who played a more prominent role in the Resistance.’
Moondrop to Gascony has all the elements of a great war story: near misses, gun fights, torture and betrayal, and is told with sincerity and clarity. It is clear that the author is consciously attempting to regale her experiences in a way that will thrill and amuse the reader, while, at the same time remaining relatively true to the actual events. She did not overplay her own experiences and as such she does not construct herself as a heroine or resort to melodrama.
Moondrop to Gascony relays life in the Resistance in a simple, believable way. It is a well written, well observed piece of literature which gives an insight into the emotions and work of a courier in SOE F section, as well as life in the Resistance and Maquis. The deprivations that Anne Marie Walters suffered and the relationships with her colleagues make the book vivid and engaging. Her storytelling style is genuine and believable with no propensity towards elevating her own role or resorting to melodrama. Her emotions are real and her character easy to empathise with. The book seems to address many of the points raised in later books: the danger, the torture of men, and reprisals. Unfortunately, despite all its good features it is rarely regarded as a work of literary or historical longevity.
Sarah Helm, A Life in Secrets (2005)
An engaging and superbly researched account of Squadron leader Vera Atkins's life before, during and after World War Two. Responsible for most of the female F section agents during their time with SOE prior to departure, Vera Atkins gained a huge insight into their personal lives, their difficulties while training and preparing to go into the field and their departure.
A Life in Secrets is neatly written, intertwining historical facts about various agents and about Vera herself resulting in the book becoming a real ‘page turner.’ However, in contrast to some of the other books reviewed, it is not because it has been written with the language and devices of a thriller or spy story, but because Helm allows the facts themselves to pull the reader along. By continually alternating the topic between the fate of Vera’s ‘girls’ and the account of Vera herself who persistently searched for them in after the war, Helm successfully captivates the reader.
The book aims to dispel certain SOE myths and also to present a true picture of those who worked in its offices. Helm is very overt in her criticism of the way in which SOE was run, in particular of the work of Maurice Buckmaster.
Helm’s book is interesting and refreshing in that the recollections of the fates of the twelve girls who did not return are told from a historical viewpoint, not an emotional or hagiographic one. For example, Helm's recollection of the death of Noor Inayat Khan is told with distance and a sense of perspective. As the first biography of Vera Atkins. the tome adds to the history of SOE as a whole. MRD Foot regarded it as ‘A formidably able book . . . lucidly written, and a solid contribution to twentieth-century history.’
George Millar, Maquis (1957)
In 1945 SOE agent George Millar wrote the first personal account of SOE’s work. ‘Maquis’ was an instant success, which, despite paper shortages was printed into seventy thousand hardback volumes by Heinemann, receiving much public and critical acclaim. General de Gaulle was impressed by the candid nature of the book, saying ‘this is the truth about the Maquis, and the Maquis is something that will be untruer, year by year for decades ahead’ and MRD Foot stated it was ‘a clear, intense picture of life in occupied France, as seen first by an escaper and then by an SOE organiser.’
SOE Headquarters were less enthusiastic about the book. Millar was told it would have to pass the SOE censors before being put into print, although when sent to the War Office his work 'was immediately cleared for publication’. Vera Atkins, a member of the SOE staff asked Millar: ‘Must you write a damned book[?] It seems rather a cheap idea, as though you did what you did to make money out of it and I know you didn’t.’
Maquis is an exciting and realistic account of life in the French resistance and is a frank personal account. It is a valuable asset to the SOE historian as it was written while the war was still on and therefore the passage of time has not been allowed to intervene or affect Millar’s memory. The fact that it also had to go through rigorous censorship implies that while SOE may have removed some of the more controversial aspects of the book, they would (hopefully) have wanted to maintain its integrity and accuracy as far as operations and actions were concerned.
Laurent Binet, HHhH (2012)
An astounding fresh and different perspective on the life and death of Reinhard Heydrich and Operation Anthropoid. What makes this book so captivating is not just the subject matter but the author's anguish over how best to tell it. Whilst HHhH is about the assassination of Heydrich, and the relatively unsung Czech SOE trained resistance heroes who did it, the book is also about Heydrich’s role in key Nazi atrocities such as Kritallnacht, the Wansee conference and the Final Solution.
We also learn of the men who risked everything to kill Heydrich, and the bravery and heroism they demonstrated in his assassination. This is a story with many different facets, each one as fascinating as the rest.
What book would I most like to see written?
The book I would most like to see written is an evaluation of SOE’s success and failures from a modern perspective, incorporating present-day military appraisals and current resources. It is the question I am asked the most and it is a subject that has not been addressed in full or with a proper study in some years. I would also like to see someone cover SOE as a global organisation, evaluating it from the ground up, from the UK bases to the offices across the world, and exploring the global contribution of this unique organisation.