{"title":"Books by Kate Vigurs","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780300264814","title":"Mission France – The True History of the Women of SOE","description":"The full story of the thirty-nine female SOE agents who went undercover in France“The freshness and honesty of Mission France make it an ideal book for taking a new look at the secret war, at a time when knowledge of these brave women’s exploits is fading from living memory.”—Vin Arthey, The Scotsman Formed in 1940, Special Operations Executive was to coordinate Resistance work overseas. The organization’s F section sent more than four hundred agents into France, thirty-nine of whom were women. But while some are widely known—Violette Szabo, Odette Sansom, Noor Inayat Khan—others have had their stories largely overlooked.    Kate Vigurs interweaves for the first time the stories of all thirty-nine female agents. Tracing their journeys from early recruitment to work undertaken in the field, to evasion from, or capture by, the Gestapo, Vigurs shows just how greatly missions varied. Some agents were more adept at parachuting. Some agents’ missions lasted for years, others’ less than a few hours. Some survived, others were murdered. By placing the women in the context of their work with the SOE and the wider war, this history reveals the true extent of the differences in their abilities and attitudes while underlining how they nonetheless shared a common mission and, ultimately, deserve recognition.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56232107639157,"sku":"9780300264814","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780300264814_4ca1f0ee-e23f-428d-a66b-e1c7b91ef4bb.jpg?v=1786012585"},{"product_id":"women-of-soe","title":"Women of SOE","description":"The remarkable history of the women who worked for Special Operations Executive across occupied Europe In the wake of the Nazi invasion of Europe, the tentative sparks of resistance in occupied countries were fanned by Britain’s Special Operations Executive. Across the continent, SOE recruited women to “set Europe ablaze.” Working as secret agents and saboteurs, these individuals bolstered resistance from within and provided much needed support and weapons. F Section’s actions in France are renowned, and today some operatives have become household names. But what happened to the women who worked outside France and those who were locally recruited? In this gripping account, Kate Vigurs tells the stories of the lesser-known women who worked across Europe, from the Netherlands to Belgium and Poland to Denmark. She explores too the lives of Jewish agents recruited in Mandate Palestine for missions in Eastern Europe. These are stories of trial and error, escape and even execution. Women of SOE examines why women were recruited, analysing their successes and contributions—and celebrates the ordinary women who did extraordinary things.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57466534625653,"sku":"9780300287011","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780300287011.jpg?v=1791212859"},{"product_id":"mission-europe-the-secret-history-of-the-women-of-soe","title":"Mission Europe – The Secret History of the Women of SOE","description":"The remarkable history of the women who worked for Special Operations Executive across occupied Europe   In the wake of the Nazi invasion of Europe, the tentative sparks of resistance in occupied countries were fanned by Britain’s Special Operations Executive. Across the continent, SOE recruited women to “set Europe ablaze.” Working as secret agents and saboteurs, these individuals bolstered resistance from within and provided much needed support and weapons. F Section’s actions in France are renowned, and today some operatives have become household names. But what happened to the women who worked outside France and those who were locally recruited?   In this gripping account, Kate Vigurs tells the stories of the lesser-known women who worked across Europe, from the Netherlands to Belgium and Poland to Denmark. She explores too the lives of Jewish agents recruited in Mandate Palestine for missions in Eastern Europe. These are stories of trial and error, escape and even execution. Mission Europe examines why women were recruited, analysing their successes and contributions—and celebrates the ordinary women who did extraordinary things.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57466792444277,"sku":"9780300272697","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780300272697.jpg?v=1791212765"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-kate-vigurs.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}