Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Harriet Sherwood

From brave women to fake heads, UK show explores the many facets of spying

Noor Inayat Khan
Noor Inayat Khan was the first female radio operator the Special Operations Executive sent into Nazi-occupied France during the second world war. Photograph: Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC)/PA

Brought up as a Sufi, a follower of a mystical form of Islam that has non-violence at its centre, Noor Inayat Khan did not hesitate when she signed up to fight the Nazis as a British agent in the second world war.

She was the first female radio operator the Special Operations Executive (SOE) sent into Nazi-occupied France, with the code name Madeleine. Within months she had been betrayed, arrested, imprisoned, tortured and shot dead.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.