The White Lady
The Story of Two Key British Secret Service Networks Behind German Lines
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Yale University Press
Published:28th Oct '25
Should be back in stock very soon
A major new history of the two most important British secret service networks in the First and Second World Wars
Intelligence gathering was essential to both sides in the First and Second World Wars. At the heart of MI6’s efforts were two key networks in Belgium. Agents in The White Lady acted as couriers, radio operators and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service.
Helen Fry charts the history of these pivotal intelligence networks. Drawing on recently declassified information, Fry examines who the agents were, how they were recruited, and how the intelligence they gathered directly impacted the outcome of both wars. Operators in the field sent over eight hundred radio messages to London and delivered more than a thousand reports, including groundbreaking information on Hitler’s secret weapon the V-1. This is a compelling account of the agents who risked their lives and found ingenious ways to smuggle intelligence out of occupied Belgium.
“There has not been a comprehensive history of the White Lady for 90 years. . . . Working from newly declassified archives in Brussels, Helen Fry [shines] overdue light on what she rightly describes as ‘astonishing tales of selfless heroism from behind the German lines.’”—James Owen, Times (UK)
“It is not often that a writer is able to add to history rather than interpret it, but in her exploration of Belgian and Luxembourg archives Fry has done just that.”—Alan Judd, Spectator
“Fry is sincere and gracious in her memorialising. . . . The credentials of the [Clarence Network] members, heroes all, are now happily celebrated alongside those of Fry and are alone reason enough to read her work.”—John Raine, Engelsberg Ideas
“Fry highlights the importance of the intelligence work conducted by Belgian networks—the White Lady during WWI and the Clarence and Mill Services during WWII—to the British Secret Service.”—Mary Kathryn Barbier, author of Spies, Lies and Citizenship
“A fascinating study of one of the great triumphs of Britain’s wartime secret service operations with superb, groundbreaking research in the Belgian and UK archives. A truly excellent read.”—Michael Smith, author of The Real Special Relationship
“A fantastic and inspirational story of heroism and defiance.”—Michael Goodman, Kings College London
“Helen Fry does it again! Her ability to combine deep research with powerful storytelling make her books a must read for anyone interested in intelligence and the real meaning of wartime resistance. The White Lady reveals the stories of brave individuals now brought into the limelight where they belong, thanks to Fry. This is a compelling and important book.”—Anne Sebba, author of The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz
“Gripping. Fry sheds fresh light on two important MI6 networks and pays homage to the courageous agents who risked all in Belgium during both world wars.”—Claire Hubbard-Hall, author of Her Secret Service
ISBN: 9780300275117
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
304 pages