Spy Princess

by Shrabani Basu

  The basement flat was separate from the rest of the house. It had two exits – one on to the crescent and one on to a wooded garden at the back facing the avenue. Noor noted that there were two main rooms and a place of concealment. There was an area in the middle between the conservatory and the garden where a wireless set could be buried under the fence. The SOE appreciated Noor’s detailed report.

  The second flat selected by Noor was at 99 Pembroke Road with a rather higher rent of £120 per year. She noted that it had a spacious loft in which to conceal a wireless set and offered an easy place to fix the aerial. There was no danger of being overheard and good means of police warning and escape.

  A third address was at 10 Whiteladies Road, where the rent was £75, and the electric supply of 210 volts. It was a first-floor flat with one exit. This the SOE found very suitable.

  Noor had to now find some reliable colleagues to act as cut-outs. These were people who would convey messages and help the agent. Noor identified Mr T.A. Leach, secretary of the Bristol University Union at Victoria Rooms. She chose him because he was very popular among Bristol students and was a great sport with close connections with the boat club. She also described him as a clever organiser.

  Her second contact was Dr Hope Scott, a surgeon based at Clifton Down Road, Bristol. He was in practice with a Dr Carter, who lived at 55 Old Market Street, Bristol.

  Noor found Dr Carter to be a sporty man with a ‘high sense of responsibility’. She also found that he was popular among both wealthy and poor people. Noor described him as ‘extremely active, genuinely English. Most precious as potential cut-out’.17

  Noor noted that the ‘Bristol area as a whole was suitable for operations. Security precautions and well founded cover most essential as police service is extremely efficient being a coastal area.’18

  As part of the operation, Noor had to send a letter to the Bullring (this was probably a secret address in Birmingham where the SOE received letters). She successfully deposited a letter with a commando, who would have been the most reliable way of getting it delivered without the letter being traced back to her. This letter was handed over on the London train. But the SOE remarked that this gentleman, unfortunately, returned to the Bristol area before posting the letter. It was actually sent from Weston-super-Mare two days after the exercise had finished.

  The most difficult part of the Bristol scheme was the interrogation. In a set-up by the SOE, Noor was arrested and taken to the police station to test her ability to improvise and stick to her cover story. Here, however, she did not perform well. The SOE noted that Noor made ‘stupid’ mistakes that she could easily have avoided with a little forethought. They also reported that Noor ‘always volunteered far more information when being questioned’.19

  The SOE officer concluded that Noor had worked very hard and ‘shown interest in the exercise, but however, she must learn to be more discreet. Apart from the police interrogation, I consider this quite a good scheme.’ This would go against Noor in her reports, leading to divisions among her instructors as to whether she was capable of becoming an agent.

  Once Noor finished at Beaulieu, she had to wait for the next full moon to be flown to France. Agents were flown in on full-moon nights so that the pilot could have greater visibility of the area. While most agents went after Beaulieu for further specialist training – parachuting, lock-picking and safe-breaking or clandestine wireless techniques in Thame Park – Noor was urgently needed in the field and had to make her final preparations. Meanwhile, opinions about her capability were divided. Her nervousness had clearly gone against her. Some of her instructors were concerned that she did not have a sense of security and was too emotional. They blamed her emotional state on her father, as word had got around that he had been a Sufi preacher. Noor became one of the most controversial agents in Beaulieu as instructors clashed over their assessment of her. She was considered by some to be too beautiful and exotic, a person who would attract attention to herself rather than blend in the background. Some thought she would be a security risk while others considered her a very capable potential agent and an excellent radio operator.

  Even Noor’s colleague in Beaulieu, Yvonne Cormeau, a successful agent herself who survived the war, described Noor as a ‘splendid, vague dreamy creature, far too conspicuous – twice seen, never forgotten’ who had ‘no sense of security’ and should never have been sent to France.20

  The training schools, however, often had reports which did not match the agents’ actual performance on the field. A report from Beaulieu on Francis Cammaerts, one of the SOE’s most successful agents, described him as ‘rather lacking in dash’ and ‘not suitable as a leader’.21 By 1944 Cammaerts had trained and armed nearly 10,000 men who were all in place by D-Day ready to delay German reinforcements. Violette Szabo, who later got the George Cross for her bravery, and was a crack shot, had reports which said: ‘I seriously wonder whether this student is suitable for our purpose. She seems lacking in a sense of responsibility and … does not appear to have any initiative or ideals.’ Szabo was also described as being ‘uncertain of her own mind and to have no definite purpose’. Even her final report described her as ‘temperamentally unsuitable for this work’.22 Yet in these and other cases, Maurice Buckmaster and Selwyn Jepson took the final decisions on the agent, trusting their own instinct rather than the reports from the training schools.

  Noor now remained on standby. From Beaulieu, she was to be sent to Chorleywood in Hertfordshire where agents were taken just before they went into the field. The actual house was at Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire, but Chorleywood was the name of the nearest railway station. It was a large country house full of agents leaving on different missions and all, understandably, a little nervous. Here the training continued, with codes, map reading and cover story familiarisation. Noor was by now expected to finish her training by the end of June. Yet she knew she would have to leave before that, possibly by mid-June.

  Before she left for Chorleywood, Noor had to say goodbye to her mother and sister. She did not know when she would meet them again. She went to London and tried desperately to organise the paperwork on the financial front so that Claire could look after her mother when she had gone. She told them she was going away for a long time and would not be able to write letters. Her mother thought she was going to Africa. Claire thought she was going to some island and had no idea that she was heading for France.

  But almost on the last day, Noor sprang another surprise on her family. She told them she was engaged.23 Her fiancé was someone she had met at the War Office and they would be married when she returned. The family had little time to react. They had noticed that a gentleman often used to telephone Noor when she was in London, but had not thought much of it.

  Noor told them briefly that he was a British officer. His father was English. Noor said they had hoped to get married before she left but it had not been possible. Nevertheless, she told them that she considered the engagement formal. Noor would not reveal the young man’s name or address to her family, but later Claire thought she had said his mother was Norwegian or that he had lived in Norway for a while.

  Noor also told Claire that if she was ever called upon to do something called ‘liaison work’ she was to refuse. When Claire asked why, Noor explained to her that if her knowledge of French and upbringing in France led to her getting a call from the War Office, she was not to accept the job. The request made no sense to Claire, but she promised Noor because her sister seemed so serious about it. It did not occur to Claire that Noor herself may have been off on just such an assignment.

  Noor did not manage to say goodbye to Vilayat, who was now at Lancing College. He had always been her closest friend and soulmate and she was still worried about him and his threats to leave the Navy. She gave a sealed envelope to Claire with instructions that if he failed his commission and was about to do something reckless, she should give him the letter and tell him to try and do what she had suggested in it. Later
Vilayat discovered that Noor had written the name and address of an officer of the French section in it.

  It was time for the final farewells. After kissing her mother and sister, Noor walked away. But something made Claire cling to her for a few more minutes. She took Noor’s hand and started walking with her. Noor didn’t ask her to go back. Both girls took the tube from Euston Square to Baker Street. At Baker Street station she hugged Claire again and simply said: ‘This is where we say goodbye.’

  Her last words to Claire were ‘Be good’. Claire watched till the last, as Noor’s slight figure melted into the crowd in Baker Street.

  Six

  Leaving England

  Before going to Chorleywood Noor had to meet her section chiefs in Baker Street, who were facing a crisis. The wireless operator of their team in Paris had asked for emergency help because his workload was too heavy to handle alone. He needed immediate relief. Though she had still not finished her training, Noor was the only one available, and she knew she would be taking the next flight out. It was scheduled for the next full moon, 16 June.

  Feeling a little low after having said goodbye to her family, she reached Chorleywood and met her escorting officer and colleagues. Here in the large country house, Noor’s training continued. Along with other agents she pored over maps, practised her cover story and had further instructions on codes and wireless training. Noor was given revision in Innocent Letter Conventions (long reports written in code which were carried on aircraft rather than transmitted by radio), training in writing practice letters, wording messages, revision of double transposition and envelope opening. But even as she made her preparations to go, there were some last-minute hitches. Her final reports were negative, questioning her suitability for the field. In a report on 21 May, Colonel Frank Spooner wrote: ‘Not overburdened with brains but has worked hard and shown keenness, apart from some dislike of the security side of the course. She has an unstable and temperamental personality and it is very doubtful whether she is really suited to work in the field.’1

  This controversial note is heavily underlined and the words ‘not overburdened with brains’ have a comment by Buckmaster in the margin saying ‘We don’t want them overburdened with brains’. The bit about the ‘temperamental personality’ is also underlined, with ‘Nonsense’ written next to it in the margin. There are further scribblings from Buckmaster, ‘Makes me cross’, and finally, ‘she ought to work as S2’. While Buckmaster’s comments about not wanting his agents ‘overburdened with brains’ may smack of arrogance, implying that brains were needed only for the senior people, it was also a reflection of the SOE’s desperate situation. Buckmaster may have made the throwaway remark because he was anxious to send Noor into the field as soon as possible. F-section was under tremendous pressure. To get a trained wireless operator was difficult enough – to get one who was fluent in French as well was almost impossible at short notice. Noor was almost tailor-made for them and her chiefs were confident she should go.

  Colonel Frank Spooner later told Noor’s friend Jean Overton Fuller that he had prepared the harsh report just to protect Noor and prevent her going into the field. He was opposed on principle to women doing this work and felt particularly strongly that Noor would not be able to cope. The word had spread in Beaulieu that Noor came from a mystical Sufi background and there were many doubts about whether she had the inner toughness to be a secret agent.

  These concerns were expressed in another memo of 24 May 1943: ‘From reports on the girl I suggest that care be taken that she be not given any task which might set up a mental conflict with her idealism. This might render her unstable from our point of view.’

  Noor had performed terribly at the mock Gestapo interrogation which took place at the end of her training period. The contradictory reports made the SOE keep a close watch on her. There was one thing all the instructors agreed on: her radio skills were excellent. Besides, she was the only one who could go, since the others in her batch were well behind her in speed and wireless training. Noor by now had completed her course on the A Mark II transmitter and could handle the controls quite efficiently. She had a few problems with systematic fault-finding and technical intricacies but understood her code theory very well. Her trainers noted that she needed more practical experience to become fully proficient.

  It wasn’t just the report from Spooner that cast doubts in the minds of the SOE. Two women agents who were staying with Noor in Chorleywood wrote to Vera Atkins expressing their doubts about Noor’s suitability for the field. Troubled by the reports, Vera took Noor out to lunch at Manetta’s in Clarges Street. Taking a corner table where they could not be overheard, Vera told her about the letter she had received and asked Noor how she felt about the women’s views. Noor was shocked and hurt.2

  Vera put it to her that she could still opt out without any trace being left on her file if she had doubts. She explained to her that there was nothing wrong in admitting it. It was worse to go into the field and let your comrades down. But Noor was firm. She said she knew she was the proper person for the mission and had never had any doubts. She told Vera that saying goodbye to her mother and sister in London had been the most painful experience of her life. She also confessed that she was worried about Vilayat’s examination results.

  Vera told Noor that she would inform her in Paris how Vilayat had done in his exams. By the end of the meal, Vera was convinced that it was only the pain of parting from her family that had dampened Noor’s spirits. She, along with Maurice Buckmaster, had complete faith in Noor.

  Noor asked Vera to send periodical bulletins to her mother informing her that she was well. If she was missing they were not to tell her. She wanted Vera to keep up the bulletins till they had definite information about her (even if it was after the war was over). Vera asked her if this would make her happier and she said it would.

  On 4 June, Selwyn Jepson sent a memo from F-section asking if Noor could be discharged from the WAAF and given an honorary commission in that service. ‘She will be leaving for the Field very shortly and I should be glad if the necessary action could be put in motion,’ he wrote.

  Noor was still at Chorleywood preparing her cover story and doing some crucial map reading and further wireless training. On 5 June 1943 her progress report stated: ‘Has now completed a shortened course at the request of Country section. Her scheme [training exercise] was curtailed through a technical fault, but she gained some useful experience and is now more confident of her operating.’ Her final report from Thame Park confirmed that her training had been cut short and she was being sent to the field.

  This student was withdrawn during the month at the request of her Country section. While she cannot be considered a fully trained operator because of her shortened course, she is quite capable of handling her set, and of passing messages. She should, however, gain more confidence in time. While at this school she showed signs of being easily flustered when difficulties cropped up, especially if they were of a technical nature, and it is doubtful if she will ever be able to fully overcome this.3

  Noor knew she would not be completing her training and went to say goodbye to Joan Sanderson, giving her a pair of cufflinks she had been wearing as a memento.

  On 7 June Noor had a final appointment to run through her codes before she left. She had to go to London to meet Leo Marks, master code-maker and head of communications at SOE. He was the son of Benjamin Marks, owner of the legendary London bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road, and had joined the SOE aged twenty-two in 1942. A cryptographer of genius, he had made the codes to be used by agents in the field.

  Many years later Marks gave an amusing account of the meeting with Noor and an impromptu meeting with Buckmaster that preceded it.4 Late one night Maurice Buckmaster knocked on his door, hungry and exhausted, complaining that the canteen was shut.

  Once Marks had supplied him with his mother’s home-made sandwiches and cakes, Buckmaster blurted out a name: ‘Noor Inayat Khan.’

  He t
old the bewildered Leo Marks that she was a wireless operator who had finished her course in Beaulieu and was due to be dropped into France in around ten days’ time. Buckmaster told Marks that the problem was that ‘the bastard Spooner’ had ‘taken against her’ and had written a report saying that she was ‘temperamentally unsuitable’ to be an agent, and would be a major security risk if she were sent to the field. ‘Which is absolute balls,’ said Buckmaster. He admitted, however, that Noor’s other instructors agreed with Spooner.

  ‘What else could one expect from that mob of second-raters?’ he burst out. He also said that ‘that damn busybody’ had sent a copy of his report to Baker Street and the question of whether Noor should be allowed to go to France was now in the balance.

  In fact Spooner had sent a copy of the report to Robin Brook, controller of the French, Belgian and Dutch directorates and to Eric Mockler-Ferryman, director in charge of operations into all Western Europe, hoping the latter would refer the matter to the SOE chief Colin Gubbins. Marks knew that one attempt had already been made to fly Noor into Paris. So desperate was the SOE that on that occasion she had left without even the required final code briefing from him. He had only heard about it later. Maurice Buckmaster admitted in his book Specially Employed that sometimes the training school’s commandant’s report on an agent was at variance with their own, but that ‘it was necessary, for overriding reasons of shortage of specialists – particularly wireless operators – to stretch a point in favour of a candidate’.5 Noor was clearly one such case.