Women in intelligence - A hidden history from WWI to WWII

In the twentieth century, women took on an extraordinary range of roles in intelligence, defying the conventions of their time. Across both world wars, far from being a small part of covert operations, they ran spy networks and escape lines, parachuted behind enemy lines and interrogated prisoners. Meanwhile, back at Bletchley and Whitehall, women’s vital administrative work in Military Intelligence kept the British war engine running. Helen takes a panoramic view of the rich intelligence and espionage work women undertook as civilians and in uniform. From spies in the Belgian network ‘La Dame Blanche’, knitting coded messages into jumpers, to those who interpreted aerial images and even ran entire sections, she will talk about some of the inspirational contributions of these remarkable women from her extensive research.

About Helen Fry

Historian Dr Helen Fry has over 25 books on the Second World War, with particular reference to the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain, and also British intelligence, espionage and WWII. Her latest highly acclaimed book Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars received the Silver Award from Military History Matters Book Award. Her bestselling books include The Walls have Ears about the secret wartime eavesdropping operation; also Spymaster: The Man who Saved MI6; and MI9 about the British Secret Service for escape and evasion in World War Two. She appears frequently in numerous TV documentaries, including covering the major anniversaries of D-Day for the BBC. In 2022 Helen was recognized as a woman of achievement at the Women of the Year Lunch Awards. In 2023 she received The Lifetime Achievement Award in Jewish Military History and Education. She is an ambassador for the Military Intelligence Museum; a trustee of the Friends of the Intelligence Corps and a trustee of the Medmenham Collection.