Since the inception of the Secret Service Bureau back in 1909, women have worked at the very heart of British secret intelligence – yet their contributions have been all but written out of history. Now, drawing on private and previously-classified documents, leading historian Claire Hubbard-Hall brings their gripping true stories to life.
From encoding orders and decrypting enemy messages to penning propaganda and infiltrating organisations, the women of British intelligence played a pivotal role in both the First and Second World Wars. Prepare to meet the true custodians of Britain’s military secrets, from Kathleen Pettigrew, personal assistant to the Chief of MI6 Stewart Menzies, who late in life declared ‘I was Miss Moneypenny, but with more power’, to Jane Archer, the very first female MI5 officer who raised suspicions about the Soviet spy Kim Philby long before he was officially unmasked and Winifred Spink, the first female officer ever sent to Russia in 1916. In Her Secret Service, Hubbard-Hall rescues these silenced voices and those of many other fascinating women from obscurity to provide a definitive account of women’s contributions to the history of the intelligence services.
From encoding orders and decrypting enemy messages to penning propaganda and infiltrating organisations, the women of British intelligence played a pivotal role in both the First and Second World Wars. Prepare to meet the true custodians of Britain’s military secrets, from Kathleen Pettigrew, personal assistant to the Chief of MI6 Stewart Menzies, who late in life declared ‘I was Miss Moneypenny, but with more power’, to Jane Archer, the very first female MI5 officer who raised suspicions about the Soviet spy Kim Philby long before he was officially unmasked and Winifred Spink, the first female officer ever sent to Russia in 1916. In Her Secret Service, Hubbard-Hall rescues these silenced voices and those of many other fascinating women from obscurity to provide a definitive account of women’s contributions to the history of the intelligence services.
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Reviews
This compelling and impeccably-researched book brings a cast of truly fascinating and inspirational female intelligence workers out of the shadows and puts them where they belong: at centre stage. Forget James Bond; these are the real heroines of British espionage.
Full of anecdote and insight, Claire Hubbard-Hall has crafted a fascinating history of the pivotal role played by women in the British intelligence services. A hugely enjoyable read.
Riveting, original and scrupulously researched, this remarkable work rescues the lost voices of Britain's intelligence services.
Beautifully written and elegiac . . . a masterpiece that showcases the incredible contribution made by Britain's female intelligence operatives at home and abroad. For those who went deep into harm's way, they had little more than their charm, intelligence, wit and beauty as a foil to the enemy's most cunning and vicious predations. An entrancing book showcasing women's long forgotten voices in espionage histories
A phenomenal achievement . . . one of those rare books that is genuinely pioneering, undoubtedly necessary, and a great read. There is something new on every page