April's Daughters: Honoring the SOE Women Born This Month
April is the most remarkable month in our calendar of remembrance, with eight female agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Section F born during this time. These women came from all walks of life and across continents, united by a singular mission: to serve behind enemy lines in France and resist Nazi occupation during WWII.
Their courage echoes through time. Some survived the war and returned to quiet lives. Others paid the ultimate price, executed in camps or lost in the field. Some left behind photographs and medals. Others left behind only a name and codename—but all left their mark on history.
This monthly tribute is part of my broader effort to honor these women through the Timeless Agents series—historical novels that blend dual timelines to preserve their legacy for a new generation. But this space is just for them. A quiet corner to remember their birthdays, their bravery, and their stories.
April has the highest number of SOE birthdays, followed closely by January with seven agents. Let us now turn to these eight extraordinary women—April’s daughters—who dared to stand in the shadows and fight for freedom.
1. Virginia Hall Or The Limping Lady Who Terrified the Gestapo
Few agents in the Second World War struck as much fear into the Gestapo as Virginia Hall. Known to them as “the most dangerous of all Allied spies,” she was—remarkably—an American woman with a wooden leg. That didn’t stop her from serving first with the British SOE and later with the American OSS, coordinating resistance networks, organizing sabotage, and guiding escaped prisoners over the Pyrenees.
Nicknamed "La Dame qui Boîte", or "The Limping Lady," Virginia’s prosthetic leg, which she nicknamed “Cuthbert,” became legendary in its own right. After being rejected by the U.S. Foreign Service due to her disability, she found her calling in the shadows—serving fearlessly behind enemy lines.
Virginia Hall’s story is one of sheer defiance. She operated in Vichy France under constant threat of capture, often disguising herself as a peasant woman and filing her teeth to appear older. Even after being forced to flee over the mountains into Spain, she returned to occupied France in 1944 to assist the Resistance ahead of the D-Day landings.
For her service, she was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Croix de Guerre, and made a Member of the Order of the British Empire—the only civilian woman to receive the DSC during WWII.
Her legacy continues to inspire generations of intelligence officers, and her story is now widely taught and celebrated, including by the CIA, where she later worked. You can read more about Virginia Hall’s extraordinary life in this article by the CIA:
👉 Virginia Hall: The Courage and Daring of the Limping Lady
2. Phyllis “Pippa” Latour – The Last Agent Standing
In October 2023, the world lost the last surviving female agent of SOE’s Section F—Phyllis “Pippa” Latour. Born in South Africa, raised in French-speaking environments, and trained for some of the most perilous missions behind enemy lines, Pippa lived to the remarkable age of 102. Her story, like so many of her comrades, remained largely unknown for decades.
Phyllis joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) before being recruited into the SOE. At just 23 years old, she parachuted into Normandy in May 1944, working undercover as a teenage girl riding a bicycle through the French countryside. Her mission: gather intelligence and relay it to the Allies in preparation for D-Day. To protect her messages, she encrypted them in microscopic code hidden on silk, disguised as clothing repairs or hair ribbons.
Despite the enormous danger—being caught with a radio transmitter was punishable by death—she operated successfully until France’s liberation. She later said she joined to avenge the death of her godmother, who had been killed by the Nazis.
For her service, Pippa received numerous awards, including the Legion of Honour, the Croix de Guerre, and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
She rarely spoke of her wartime work until much later in life, when she finally received public recognition. The BBC published a moving tribute after her passing, which you can read here:
👉 BBC: Phyllis Latour, the last female SOE agent, dies at 102
Phyllis Latour was the last link to a sisterhood of secret agents whose courage changed the course of the war. Now, she joins them in memory. The last agent has passed—but their stories live on.
For those of you who read The Color of Courage, you may remember that “Geneviève“ was the young W/T Operator who Lise de Baissac took under her wing in Normandy before and after D-Day.
3. Peggy Knight – The Leyton Typist with Nerves of Steel
Marguerite Diana Frances “Peggy” Knight may have started her career as a humble typist in Leyton, but her wartime path led her deep into the heart of Nazi-occupied France. Recruited into the SOE for her fluent French and remarkable calm under pressure, she parachuted into the Auvergne in 1944 and served as a courier for the DONKEYMAN Network.
With a bicycle, a fierce sense of duty, and nerves of steel, Peggy delivered secret messages between Resistance groups, often riding for miles under the constant threat of arrest or execution. Her courage, professionalism, and ability to maintain her cover made her an invaluable part of the underground effort to destabilize the German war machine.
Her wartime heroism earned her numerous honors, including the Croix de Guerre, US Medal of Freedom, and appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
After the war, Peggy lived a quiet life in Cornwall. Her story, like many of her comrades, was nearly lost to time—but thanks to dedicated local historians, her legacy now lives on.
You can read more about her in this article by the Leyton History Society:
👉 The Leyton Typist with Nerves of Steel
4. Marie-Thérèse Le Chêne – The Oldest Female SOE Agent
At 52, Marie-Thérèse Le Chêne became the oldest female agent sent by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) into occupied France during World War II. Serving from 31 October 1942 until 19 August 1943, she worked as a courier under the codename Adèle, operating primarily in the Lyon area alongside her husband, Henri Le Chêne, and brother-in-law, Pierre Le Chêne.
Due to her age, Marie-Thérèse did not parachute into France; instead, she arrived by boat. Her assignments involved transporting messages and coordinating with various resistance networks—a perilous role that required constant vigilance and courage.
Despite the significant risks, she successfully evaded capture and continued her operations until her extraction by the SOE on 19 August 1943. For her bravery and contributions to the resistance, she was awarded the Croix de Guerre and appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Unfortunately, much of Marie-Thérèse's life after the war remains shrouded in mystery, with no known photographs or detailed records of her later years. Her story stands as a testament to the countless unsung heroes whose valor and sacrifices were instrumental in the fight against oppression.
Learn more about the Le Chêne family's involvement with the SOE here:
👉 The Le Chêne Family and the Special Operations Executive
5. Odette Wilen – The Survivor Who Disappeared into the Shadows
Odette Wilen is one of the more enigmatic SOE heroines. Born in London to a Finnish mother and a French father, she joined the war effort after the death of her husband, an RAF pilot. Trained in the SOE’s rigorous program, she was parachuted into occupied France in April 1944 to serve as a courier under the codename Sophie.
Tragically, her first contact in the field was missing—arrested days earlier in what would unravel into the betrayal of the entire PROSPER circuit, one of the SOE's largest and most successful networks. Odette found herself stranded in France, surrounded by danger and unsure whom to trust.
Amazingly, she survived. With help from sympathetic locals and extraordinary courage, she evaded capture and returned safely to England—a fate not shared by many of her comrades. After the war, she quietly left public life and eventually emigrated to Argentina, where she died in 2015 at the age of 96.
She received the Croix de Guerre, the Parachute Badge of Wings, and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire—a testament to her bravery and resilience.
You can read more about Odette and the haunting fate of the SOE's PROSPER agents in this BBC feature:
👉 BBC: The British spies who lied, loved—and were betrayed
6. Lilian Vera Rolfe – “Beyond Courage”
Born to a French mother and British father, Lilian Vera Rolfe was raised in Paris and educated in both languages—making her a perfect candidate for the Special Operations Executive. After fleeing Nazi-occupied France, she worked in the British Ministry of Information before joining the SOE.
Parachuted into the Loiret region in April 1944 under the codename Nadine, Lilian served as a wireless operator for the HISTORIAN network. Her work was perilous: transmitting from occupied territory, constantly on the move, with the risk of capture ever-present. But she continued her missions with remarkable courage and calm.
In July 1944, her network collapsed. Lilian was captured by the Gestapo, tortured, and imprisoned in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Witnesses later recalled her bravery and kindness even in the most horrific conditions. On 5 February 1945, she was executed alongside fellow agents Denise Bloch and Violette Szabo.
Lilian was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre, the MBE, and was Mentioned in Despatches. She was just 30 years old.
Her story is one of steadfast spirit in the face of unimaginable cruelty—a life taken far too soon, but never forgotten.
You can read more about her in this moving profile by historian Paul McCue:
👉 Lilian Vera Rolfe: Beyond Courage – Paul McCue for ICMGLT
7. Odette Sansom – The Most Decorated Woman of WWII
Few names are as synonymous with female wartime heroism as Odette Sansom. A French mother of three living in Britain, she volunteered for SOE and was parachuted into occupied France in 1942. Operating under the codename Lise, she worked closely with fellow agent Peter Churchill, posing as his wife to mask their activities.
Odette was eventually captured, tortured at Fresnes Prison, and deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp. Despite brutal interrogations and the threat of execution, she gave nothing away—protecting her comrades and inventing the story that Churchill was related to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a clever ploy that may have saved both their lives.
Her bravery, resistance, and sheer endurance became legendary. After the war, Odette received the George Cross—Britain’s highest civilian award for gallantry—and became the most decorated female agent of the SOE. Her honors also included the Croix de Guerre, Légion d’Honneur, and multiple British campaign and jubilee medals.
Odette’s story was dramatized in the 1950 film Odette, and she later became a prominent speaker and advocate for remembering the sacrifices of the Resistance.
You can read more about her astonishing life here:
👉 How a Housewife Became One of WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spies – HistoryNet
8. Cicely Lefort – A Tragic End in Ravensbrück
Cicely Marie Lefort had been living a quiet life in France with her French doctor husband when the world fell into chaos. Bilingual and determined, she volunteered for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in 1943. Trained as a courier under the codename Alice, she was sent to France to serve the JOCKEY network in southeastern regions.
Unfortunately, her mission was cut tragically short. In September 1943, Cicely was arrested by the Gestapo while carrying compromising materials. She endured torture and was eventually deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp. In February 1945, with the war nearing its end, she was executed by gas chamber.
Cicely’s story might have vanished into the silence of history, but her courage was never forgotten. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre and Mentioned in Despatches. In recent years, her American great-niece embarked on a journey to uncover her legacy—piecing together family letters, records, and resistance archives to give Cicely’s sacrifice the recognition it deserves.
Her life and death are reminders of how easily the stories of brave women can be buried—and how essential it is to bring them to light.
You can read the full article about Cicely’s rediscovery here:
👉 Moscow author pieces together puzzle of relative executed as a WWII secret agent
