Royal Air Force News Friday, October 20, 2023 P16
By Tracey Allen
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RAF MEDMENHAM: Nora Littlejohn of B2 Section © The Medmenham Collection
HEN TALKING about the – mainly unsung – heroines who were at the heart of Britain’s secret intelligence war during World War II, author Dr Sarah-Louise Miller cites a memorable quote from former First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” In her excellent new book, The Women Behind The Few, The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and British Intelligence During The Second World War (bitebackpublishing.com), she reveals the fascinating stories of the vital work they performed in areas such as photo reconnaissance, as radar operators, signals analysts and as members of the clandestine Special Operations Executive, Winston Churchill’s brainchild. They include WAAF Yvonne Cormeau, SOE agent and wireless operator who chose to join the organisation after her soldier husband TEAM WORK: was killed during the A WAAF Y Service London Blitz. Flt Sgt Dr Miller said: “She collaborates joined knowing full well with an RAF that wireless operators colleague © IWM usually only lasted a matter Y R F N E of weeks before they were caught DR HEL and, if caught, were tortured and killed. “She was a crucial link between the British and the French resistance. She posed as an innocent medical worker – she didn’t even stop when she was shot in the leg. She was one of the lucky ones who came home [Yvonne died in 1997 aged 88]. She was given the Légion d’Honneur but had to keep silent about it.” Discussing her latest book, the riveting read Women In Intelligence, The Hidden History of Two World Wars (yalebooks.co.uk), espionage expert Dr Helen Fry revealed that she had scored a scoop, uncovering information that WE HAVE copies of confirmed World War I nurse Edith Women In Intelligence Cavell – shot by the Germans in by Helen Fry to win. October, 1914 – had been not only a For your chance to own one, tell us: spy but also a spy master. Who was the WWI Dr Fry said: “She is hugely nurse who worked as a inspirational and inspired generations British spy? of women after her, particularly in Email your answer, World War II. The intelligence services marked Women In Intelligence to this day have not owned her as one book competition, to: tracey.allen@ of their own. rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF “Women were largely invisible as News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, spies, the Germans didn’t use them very HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by November 3. much for spying in both world wars Include your full postal address. so they didn’t think the British would use female spies. Edith Cavell had cast iron, formidable defiance – none of the She added: “Even in the uniformed stations and as plotters in operations millions of photographs coming women spies thought they were heroes, Services it’s quite hard to tell if more rooms. Intelligence on incoming raids through that place. A lot of WAAFs which is typical of veterans.” women were spies in WWII than WWI was passed to the Filter Room at Fighter were stationed there, including Sarah The author of bestsellers on M19 because we don’t have precise figures Command Headquarters at Bentley Churchill, Winston’s daughter, and and spymaster Thomas Kendrick, due to the secrecy around military Priory, the central hub of the Dowding Constance Babington Smith. It was among other titles, Dr Fry said: “I never intelligence work.” System. her team that noticed a tiny shape on thought even five years ago that I would Dr Miller explained: “1940 was a Dr Miller said: “Women didn’t a photograph that, through dogged write a book on women. You have crucial year for WWII. The Luftwaffe generally study maths and physics at determination, they identified as V figures in military intelligence, most was numerically superior to the RAF school so for them to use this highly weapons, persisting when she was told famously Claude Dansey [assistant at the time – with more planes and scientific equipment was unexpected not to – the women were told it was chief of the Secret Intelligence Service], more pilots. Obviously, we couldn’t and it was also unexpected that they lake-dredging equipment. But it who didn’t think it was appropriate to win through brute force, so we needed would do it extremely well. was confirmed to be a pilotless send women behind enemy lines. an advantage in terms of information. She added: “The Dowding System was aircraft.” “In M15 and what became the SIS, What we had was brand new technology an extremely sophisticated, integrated Dr Miller (inset right) women were doing the kinds of roles called radar.” air defence system, used mostly by said: “Men were needed for that did not necessarily suit their titles, Radar could pick up incoming women.” frontline service, it wasn’t officially they were cooks and secretaries enemy aircraft at a range of 80 miles She explained that women also legal for women to be on the – these women became experts in their – it played a crucial role in the Battle did a lot of work in photographic frontline in combat then, particular fields of intelligence and of Britain by giving air defences intelligence interpretation, based at RAF so roles were identified this legacy has been hidden by official early warning of German attacks Medmenham. where women could secrecy and not misogyny.” and WAAFs did vital work in radar “That was crucial work, there were substitute, such as photo
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