Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944) was a British spy operating behind enemy lines in World War II. She also happened to be a children’s writer, pacifist, and princess.
All month, we're talking about Spies. Tune in to hear incredible stories of intelligence and espionage!
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, and Brittany Martinez. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Edie Allard, and Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejeda.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Our woman of the day was a British spy operating behind enemy lines in World War II But..she’s not what you would typically imagine when you hear the phrase “British spy”. Our secret agent was a Indian children’s writer, pacifist and princess. Let’s talk about Noor Inayat Khan.
Noor Inayat Khan was born on New Year’s Day 1914. Her father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, was a musician and philosopher. He was also a descendant of the 18th century ruler of the Mysore Kingdom in southwest India. This made Noor a princess.
Noor’s mother, Ora Ray Baker, was an American poet. Noor’s parents met in San Francisco, where Noor’s father was giving a lecture on Sufism. Sufism, is a mystical form of Islam. It renounces material possessions and emphasizes purification of the soul through internal contemplation of God. The family’s Sufi philosophy would inform much of Noor’s life.
During World War I, Noor’s family moved to Paris, where she would spend much of her time as an adult. Tragically, when Noor was only 13, her father died. Noor’s mother was overwhelmed by grief, leaving Noor to look after her three younger siblings. While in Paris, Noor studied music and later child psychology at the Sorbonne. Shortly after graduating, she proved to be a successful children’s writer, and published a book of short stories called, “Twenty Jataka Tales.”
When World War II broke out in 1939, the family relocated to London. As a result of their Sufi upbringing, Noor and her siblings were staunch pacifists. As members of the Indian royal family, they weren’t exactly sympathetic to the British either. But the growing threat of facism was too great and the family volunteered for the war effort. For Noor, this meant joining the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force where she trained to become a radio operator.
Noor was a contentious recruit. Higher ranking officers found her to be uncooperative and strong willed. In her official personnel file, Colonel Frank Spooner wrote about Noor, “she has an unstable and temperamental personality. It is very doubtful whether she is really suited to work in the field.”
Despite these misgivings, Noor possessed skills the British desperately needed: she had a knack for radio AND she spoke fluent French. The latter landed her a spot in the Special Operations Executive. The SOE as it was commonly called, was a covert British spy organization that operated behind enemy lines.
In 1943, Noor parachuted behind enemy lines into occupied France. She was the first female radio operator sent by the British to do so. Her mission would be to maintain radio contact between London and the resistance agents on the ground in Paris. Her code name was Madeleine.
Noor’s situation on the ground was immediately dicey. Within ten days of her arrival, all of the other British agents in her network were arrested. The SOE advised that she return to Britain, but she refused, insisting she could rebuild the network herself.
Noor wound up doing the work of six radio operators. While a radio operator may sound like a mundane position, it entailed great risk. At the time, radio equipment was extremely bulky and conspicuous. If an agent was on air for more than twenty minutes at a time, they risked detection by the enemy. She was forced to move around constantly and even dyed her hair blonde to avoid being recognized.
Noor’s transmissions became the only link between the Parisian spies and the London office. Her correspondence allowed agents to escape and deliveries to reach their destinations. While the average length of an agent’s stint in the field was six weeks, Noor evaded capture for over three months. Sadly, she would never make it home. Just before she was set to return to England in October of 1943, she was apprehended by the Gestapo.
While in custody, Noor made two attempts to escape. As a result, was sent to the German prison in Pforzheim where she was deemed a “dangerous prisoner”. The Germans kept her chained in solitary confinement where she was regularly beaten and starved.
Then, on September 12, 1944, the Germans moved Noor to the Dachau concentration camp. The following day, Noor was executed. She was thirty years old.
Posthumously, in honor of her bravery and service, Noor was awarded the George Cross from England and the Croix de Guerre with a gold star from France.
Today, people can pay their respects to Noor in London’s Gordon Square. In a quiet corner of the square stands a statue of Noor. It is engraved with the word she is reported to have said right before her execution at Dachau: Liberté.
All month, we’re talking about spies.
For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly.
Follow us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
As always, we’re taking a break for the weekend. Talk to you on Monday!