I recently saw this interesting article in the paper. It lead me to discover the incredible story of a British spy during WWII of Indian/American provenance. The unveiling of this new portrait by Queen Camilla is a fitting tribute
Who is she?
She was living in London when she decided to help in the war effort in 1943. Khan - of Indian and American descent - served in the SOE (Special Operations Executive) which was set up by Winston Churchill in 1940. Operating as a spy in France, she managed to evaded capture for many months and sent vital information to the Allies. She was betrayed which resulted in her eventual arrest by the Gestapo. She escaped prison but was recaptured shortly afterwards. She was subjected to some of the most inhumane treatment by her captors. She refused to reveal - despite torture - anything to her captors, including her real name. She was sent to Dachau where, on the 13th of September 1944, she was executed.
I discovered a book about her life. The amazon site said this:
Noor was one of only three women SOE awarded the George Cross and, under torture, revealed nothing but her name - but not her real name, nor her code name, just the name she used to register at SOE: Nora Baker. Kept in solitary confinement, chained between hand and feet and unable to walk upright, Noor existed on bowls of soup made from potato peelings. Ten months after she was captured, she was taken to Dachau and, on 13 September 1944, she was shot. Her last word was 'Liberte'.
What a brave women. The book would be interesting to read and I do believe I saw an article about Noor somewhere on the internet.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a story about this brave woman. My heart melts after reading the whole story!
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