20 June 2024 19:30
Helen Fry - "Women In Intelligence - A Hidden History From WW1 to WW2"
The Talk: In 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 and varied 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 the Speaker: Historian Dr Helen Fry has written numerous 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 War has been shortlisted for the Military History Matters Book Award. She has written over 25 books, including her bestselling book The Walls have Ears; also Spymaster: The Man who Saved MI6; and MI9 about the British Secret Service for escape and evasion in World War Two. She appears in numerous TV documentaries. 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.
Tickets: Entry is free, but we rely totally on donations to cover our costs! - Hall, speaker, drink etc. We suggest £5 per person - or whatever you can afford.
Booking: You do not need to book, but it would help us if you did (i.e. hall preparation and refreshments etc.).
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