Tempsford SOE memorial to the female agents and RAF Special Squadrons (geograph 3769098)

The Tempsford Memorial is a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

in the village of

Tempsford Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about east north-east of the county town of Bedford. The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just befo ...

in Bedfordshire. The village was the home of

RAF Tempsford RAF Tempsford is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England and south of St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, England. As part of the Royal Air Force Special Duty Service, the airfield was perhaps the most ...

. The memorial commemorates the women who served as secret agents in occupied Europe during the Second World War, the RAF aircrew who transported them, and the personnel from allied secret services who were killed in the war. The memorial bears the names of 75 known women agents, of whom 29 were arrested, 16 were executed, three died of illnesses while imprisoned, and one committed suicide using a cyanide L-pill before being captured.

Background

Missions by British secret agents to Nazi-occupied Europe during the Second World War were coordinated by the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

, with participation from the UK

Secret Intelligence Service The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

(MI6), the Free French

Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action The Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (, Central Bureau of Intelligence and Operations), abbreviated BCRA, was the World War II-era forerunner of the SDECE, the French intelligence service. The BCRA was created by the Free French chief- ...

, the US Office of Strategic Services, and the Soviet

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

. Most were flown out by the RAF's Special Duties "moon" squadrons, 138 Squadron and 161 Squadron, from RAF Tempsford, with some operations starting from

RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...

RAF Harrington Royal Air Force Station Harrington or more simply RAF Harrington is a former Royal Air Force station in England about west of Kettering in Northamptonshire south of the village of Harrington off the A14 road. During the early Cold War, it wa ...

. A book of remembrance at St Peter’s Church in Tempsford lists 623 airmen from the two squadrons killed during the war. It is believed that 995 agents were dropped into occupied Europe by parachute, 485 were landed by aircraft, and around 575 agents and others were brought back to the UK.

Memorial

The memorial comprises a white

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...

marble column on black granite plinth. The column and the base bear inscriptions, including a list of the 75 known women agents. The top of one face of the white column bears a mosaic disc, depicting a white dove and the full moon in a blue sky, made by many local villagers. The sides of the granite plinth also commemorate the men and women of the two special duties squadrons, No. 138 and No. 161, and the personnel of the secret services from allied nations killed during the war "in the clandestine struggle for freedom and liberty". The memorial was commissioned by the Tempsford Memorial Trust and created by Ivett & Reed, stonemasons based in Cambridge. It is erected at the Millennium Sanctuary in Tempsford, near the cemetery of St Peter's church. The memorial was unveiled by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

on 3 December 2013, who completed the mosaic by inserting the last piece at the centre of the moon, with a flypast by a

Lysander Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an en ...

in the colours of 161 Squadron. In attendance was the

Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire. Since 1711, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Bedfordshire. *William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1549–1551 * Oliver St John, 1st Baron St ...

, with Baroness Crawley, Sir

John Sawers Sir Robert John Sawers FRUSI (born 26 July 1955) is a British intelligence officer, diplomat and civil servant. He was Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), a position he held from November 2009 until November 2014. He was previousl ...

, delegates from the 12 countries listed, and veterans and relatives of the SOE agents and RAF personnel.

Women commemorated

UK * "Angela" (full name not known) *

Yvonne Baseden Yvonne Jeanne de Vibraye Baseden MBE (20 January 1922 – 28 October 2017), later known as Yvonne Burney, was one of approximately forty female Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents who served in France. The objective of SOE was to conduct ...

Sonya Butt Sonya Esmée Florence Butt (14 May 1924 – 21 December 2014), also known as Sonia d'Artois, code named ''Blanche,'' was an agent of the clandestine Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. SOE agents allied themselves with gro ...

Muriel Byck Muriel Byck (4 June 1918 – 23 May 1944) was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization in France during World War II. She died of meningitis. Early life Muriel Tamara Byck was the daughter ...

(died of illness) * Blanche Charlet *

Yvonne Cormeau Yvonne Cormeau, born Beatrice Yvonne Biesterfeld (18 December 1909 – 25 December 1997), code name ''Annette,'' was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine organization, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), in World War II. She was the ...

* Lise de Baissac * Yvonne Fontaine * Olga Jackson * Marguerite Knight * Phyllis Latour * Cécile Lefort (killed in captivity) *

Vera Leigh Vera Leigh (17 March 1903 – 6 July 1944) was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive during World War II. Leigh was a member of the SOE's Donkeyman circuit and Inventor sub-circuit in occupied France until ...

(executed) *

Mary Lindell Gertrude Mary Lindell (11 September 1895 – 8 January 1987), Comtesse de Milleville, code named Marie-Claire and Comtesse de Moncy, was an English woman, a front-line nurse in World War I and a member of the French Resistance in World War II. S ...

Eileen Nearne Eileen Mary "Didi" Nearne MBE, Croix de Guerre (15 March 1921Obituary in ''The Times'' 15 September 2010 – 2 September 2010 (date body found)) was a member of the UK's Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during World War II. The pu ...

Jacqueline Nearne Jacqueline Nearne MBE (born 27 May 1916, Brighton, England, died 15 August 1982 in London, England), code named Jacqueline and Josette, was an agent for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. ...

* Lilian Rolfe (executed) *

Diana Rowden Diana Hope Rowden (31 January 1915 – 6 July 1944) served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. Rowden was a member of SOE's Acrobat circ ...

* Yvonne Rudelatt (died in captivity) * Sybil Anne Sturrock * Violette Szabó (executed) * Anne-Marie Walters * Odette Wilen *

Pearl Witherington Cecile Pearl Witherington Cornioley, (24 June 1914 – 24 February 2008), code names Marie and Pauline, was an agent in France for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. The purpose of ...

France * Françine Agazarian *

Julienne Aisner Julienne Marie Louise Aisner (née Simart; 30 December 1899 – 15 February 1947), code named Clair, was an agent in France of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization during World War II. The purpose of ...

* Marie-Lou Blanc *

Denise Bloch Denise Madeleine Bloch (; 21 January 1916 – 5 February 1945) was an agent working with the clandestine British Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization in the Second World War. Captured by the Germans, she was executed at Ravensbrück ...

(executed) * * Andrée Borrel (executed) *

Marie-Louise Cloarec Marie-Louise Joséphine Cloarec (10 May 1917 – 18 January 1945) was a French heroine of World War II who served in the Special Operations Executive and was executed by the Nazi government. She was born in Carhaix, Finistère, France and became a ...

(executed) * Evelyne Clopet (executed) * Aimée Corge * Madeleine Damerment (executed) * Cécile De Marcilly *

Eugénie Djendi Eugénie Malika Djendi (1918 – 18 January 1945) was a French heroine of World War II, who served in the Special Operations Executive and was executed by the Nazi government. Life Djendi was born in 1918 and she lived with her parents in Bône ...

(executed) * Alix d'Unienville *

Marie-Madeleine Fourcade Marie-Madeleine Fourcade (11 August 1909 – 20 July 1989) was the leader of the French Resistance network "Alliance", under the code name "Hérisson" ("Hedgehog") after the arrest of its former leader, Georges Loustaunau-Lacau (“Navarre”), d ...

* Marguerite Gianello * Eugénie Gruner * * Germaine Heim * Ginette Jullian * Madeleine Lavigne * Marie Thérèse Le Chêne *

Pierrette Louin Pierrette Denise Louin (1 October 1920 – 18 January 1945) was a French heroine of World War II who served in the Special Operations Executive and was executed by the Nazi government. She was born in Oran, Algeria, where she joined the "Corps Fé ...

(executed) * Suzanne Mertzizen (executed) * Marguerite Petitjean *

Eliane Plewman Éliane Sophie Plewman (6 December 1917 – 13 September 1944) was a British agent of Special Operations Executive (SOE) and member of the French Resistance working as a courier for the "MONK circuit" in occupied France during World War II. SOE' ...

(executed) * Danielle Reddé *

Odette Sansom Odette Sansom (28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the Second World War. S ...

* Josianne Somers * Marcelle Somers * Marie-Christine Studler Belgium * Frédérique Dupuich * Elaine Madden * Beatrix Terwindt Chile * Giliana Gerson Germany *

Hilde Meisel Hilde Meisel (31 July 1914 – 17 April 1945) was a Jewish German socialist and journalist who published articles against the Nazi regime in Germany. While in exile in England, she wrote under the pseudonym Hilda Monte, calling for German resis ...

(cyanide pill) * Anne Beyer Ireland * Mary Herbert *

Patricia O'Sullivan Maureen Patricia O'Sullivan (3 January 1918 – 5 March 1994) was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II and worked as a wireless operator for the French Section. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1918, the daught ...

India *

Noor Inayat Khan Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, GC (1 January 1914 – 13 September 1944), also known as Nora Inayat-Khan and Nora Baker, was a British resistance agent in France in World War II who served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The purpose of S ...

(executed) Netherlands * * Josephine Hamilton New Zealand *

Nancy Wake Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, (30 August 1912 – 7 August 2011), also known as Madame Fiocca and Nancy Fiocca, was a nurse and journalist who joined the French Resistance and later the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II, and ...

Poland * Krystyna Skarbek-Granville *

Elżbieta Zawacka Elżbieta Zawacka (; 19 March 1909 – 10 January 2009), known also by her war-time nom de guerre Zo, was a Polish university professor, scouting instructor, SOE agent and a freedom fighter during World War II. She was promoted to brigadier g ...

Switzerland *

Yolande Beekman Yolande Elsa Maria Beekman (7 January 1911 – 13 September 1944) was a British spy in World War II who served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the Special Operations Executive. She was a member of SOE's Musician circuit in occupied France ...

(executed) US *

Elizabeth Devereux-Rochester Elizabeth "Minnie" Devereux-Rochester, also known as Elizabeth Reynolds, (20 December 1917 – between 1981 and 1983) was a member of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry who served with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during World Wa ...

Virginia Hall Virginia Hall Goillot DSC, Croix de Guerre, (April 6, 1906 – July 8, 1982), code named Marie and Diane, was an American who worked with the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of St ...

USSR *

Anna Frolova Anna Sergeevna Frolova (russian: Анна Сергеевна Фролова; born 7 August 2005) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic bronze medalist, the 2019 JGP Italy silver medalist, and the 2019 JGP Croatia br ...

(executed) * Szyfra Lypszyc (executed) * Yelena Nikitina * Emilya Novikova

References

Tempsford Memorial Trust

Prince Charles unveils memorial to wartime women agents
BBC News, 3 December 2013
RAF Tempsford Memorial
Ivett & Reed

Daily Telegraph, 3 December 2013
Report: Prince Charles unveils memorial to those who flew secret war missions from RAF Tempsford
Bedford Today, 4 December 2013 {{coord, 52.1640, -0.3020, region:GB-CBF_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 2013 World War II memorials in England Monuments and memorials in Bedfordshire Monuments and memorials to women

Background

Memorial

Women commemorated

See also

References