List of SOE agents

The following is an incomplete list of agents who served in the field for the Special Operations Executive during World War II.

A

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Lorraine Adie	F	BR	1916–2013		Married American OSS agent Miles Copeland, Jr.
Francine Agazarian	French	British	1913–1999	MiD	Wife of Jack Agazarian
Jack Agazarian	F	British	1916–1945		KIA, 1945. Armenian father and French mother, brother of the RAF fighter ace Noel Agazarian
Juliane Aisner	French	French	1919-1947
Roland Alexandre	F		1921–1944
Elisee Allard			1916–1944
Rehavam Amir			1916–2013
Phillip Amphlett			1921–1945
James Amps			1908–1945
France Antelme	F	Mauritian	1900–1945
Claude Arnault

B

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Dorothy Baden-Powell	Scandinavian	British	1920-		WRNS
Claude de Baissac	F	Mauritian	1907-1974		Brother of Lisé de Baissac and husband of Mary Katherine Herbert[1]
Lisé de Baissac	French	Mauritian	1905–2004		Sister of SOE Agent Claude de Baissac
Madeleine Barclay	French	French	1911–1943		WRNS, KIA aboard HMS Fidelity
Denis John Barrett			1916–1944		KIA
Eric Barrett	Force 136 GHi(k)	British	1910-1975
Yvonne Baseden	French	British	1922-?	MBE, LdH, CdeG
Alcide Beauregard			1917–1944		KIA
Francis Eugene Bec			1905–1944		KIA
Major Stanley Beckinsale	Crete	British	1920–2004	MC
Yolande Beekman	French	Swiss	1911–1944	MiD	KIA at Dachau concentration camp[2]
Georges Bégué	F	French	1911–1993
Herbert John Bell	Albania/Italy	British	1919- 2001	MM
Robert Benoist	F	French	1895–1944		KIA
Kem Bennett			1919–1986
Louis Bertheau	French	French	1919–1945	MiD	KIA[3]
Gustave "Guy" Biéler	F	Canadian	1904–1944	DSO MBE
Emanuel Bierer			1884-ukn
Helen Bierer			1885-ukn		Full Name Helen Anna Agate Thormann-Bierer
Andre Bloch			1914–1942		KIA
Denise Bloch	French		1916–1945	KCBC, LdH, CdeG	KIA at Ravensbrück concentration camp[4]
Marcus Bloom			1907-1944
Bridget Blundell			-1999	MBE
Nicholas Bodington	F	British	1904–1974	MBE
Andrée Borrel	French	French	1919–1944	CdeG	KIA at Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp
Jean Bouguennec	F		1912–1944		KIA
Tony Brooks	F	British	1922–2007	DSO, MC, CdeG, LdH
Captain Basil Brown			1918–1970	MBE
Joséf Bublik
Maurice Buckmaster	F	British	1902–1992	MBE, CdeG	F Section Chief
Christopher Burney	F	British	1917–1980	MBE
Pierre Brossolette	F	French	1903–1944	LdH, CdeG, CdlL, MdlR
Norman Burley					Real Name: Noel Fernand Rauol Burdeyron
Sonya Butt	French	British	1924-	MBE, MiD	Married fellow SOE agent Guy D'Artois
Muriel Byck	French	British	1918–1944	MiD	Died in service of meningitis at Romorantin Hospital
Robert Bennett Byerly			1916–1944

C

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Eric Cauchi	F Stockbroker	Greek	1917–1944	MiD, CdeG, M.R.F.	[5]
Francis Cammaerts	F Donkeyman Jockey	British	1916–2006	DSO, LdH, CdeG
William John Chalk			1899-ukn
Robert Arthur Chapman			1901-ukn
Blanche Charlet	French	British	1898-1985	MBE
Marie Thérèse Le Chêne	F	French
Oliver Churchill	Italy	British	1914–1997	DSO, MC, Italian Partisan Medal	Brother of Group Captain Walter Churchill and Captain Peter Churchill
Odette Churchill	F	British			See Odette Sansom
Peter Churchill	F	British	1909–1972	DSO, CdeG	Brother of Group Captain Walter Churchill and Major Oliver Churchill
Arthur Christie		British	1921–2003
Marcel Clech			1905–1944
George Clement			1917–1944
Jean Coleman	F	British	1908–1982
Adolphus Richard Cooper			1899-ukn
Ted Coppin			1915–1943
Yvonne Cormeau	French	British	1909–1997	MBE, LdH, CdeG
Henri Cornioley	F	British	1914–2008		Husband of Pearl Witherington
Noël Coward		British	1899–1972
Benjamin Cowburn	F	British	1909–1994	MC and Bar, LdH, CdeG	Four successful missions into France
Robert Christensen	Scandinavia	Danish	1921-unk		Founder and commander of the Danish Frogman Corps from 1957 - 1970
Andrew Croft	Norway	British	1906–1998	DSO, MBE
Mike Cumberlege			1905-1945

D

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Madeleine Damerment	French	French	1917–1944		KIA at Dachau concentration camp
Guy D'Artois	F	Canadian	1917–1999	DSO, GM, CdeG	Married fellow SOE agent Sonya Butt
Jimmy Davies		British	1913–1940	DFC, MiD	KIA
Marcel Defence			1920–1944		[6]
Ange Defendini			1909–1944
George Demand			unk-1944
Delmeire Alphonse	F	Belgian	1919–1944		KIA 7 June 1944 in Germany
Francois Adolphe Deniset			1917–1944
Henri Dericourt	F	French	1909–1962		Possibly a double agent
Julien Detal			unk-1944
Elizabeth Devereux-Rochester	French	British	1917-1983?	LdH, CdeG
Douglas Dodds-Parker		British	1909–2006	LdH, CdeG, MiD
Derek Dodson
Donati Leo		Italian	1919-1972
Hugh Dormer	French	British	1919–1944	DSO	Left SOE in January 1944 (KIA serving with Irish Guards in August 1944).[7]
Roland Dowlen			1907–1945
André Dubois			1906–1944
Emile Duboudin			1907–1945
Gustave Duclos			1916–2002
Phillip Duclos			1923–1944
Alix D'Unienville	F	Mauritian	1919-
Gavan Bernard Duffy			1916-1990	MC
Lucien Dumais	F	Canadian		MC, CdeG, LdH	In charge of Shelburn Line (Shelbourne Line) Operation Bonaparte[8][9]
Pieter Dourlein		Dutch			Escaped back to England and survived war.

E

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Alf Espedal	Norwegian Independent Company No. 1	Norwegian	1914–1969		Trained in STS 26 at Glen More and other Special Training Schools. In charge of "Operation Osprey" that parachuted in Rogaland county on Dec. 10 1943.
Reginald Harold Everson		1923–1990

F

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Albert George Falla	F	Guernsey	1918–1997	DSM DSO MC Africa Star Italy Star	Worked for MI6 until retirement
Eugene Felangue			1912–1945
Patrick Leigh Fermor	Crete	British	1915-2011	DSO, MBE
David Finlayson			1923–1944
Yvonne Fontaine	F	French	1913–1996	MdlRF
Marcel Fox			1910–1945
Henri Frager	F	French	1897–1944	MiD, MdlRF	KIA
Louis Francou		Belgian			also known as Bullfrog

G

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Henri Gaillot	F	Belgian	1896–1944		KIA (also known as « Ignace » ou « Guillaume »)
Albrecht Gaiswinkler	F	Austrian	1905–1979
Harry Gamwell			1912–1998
Emile Garry			1909–1944		KIA
P A H Geelen			1916–1944		KIA
Haim Gerson
Paul Goffin		Belgian	1915-1967		also known as Gofer
John G. Goldsmith	F	British	1909-1972	DSO, MC, CdeG, LdH
Harry Graham			1910–1945		KIA
Sverre Granlund	Norway	Norwegian	1918–1943	DCM, WCS
William Grover-Williams	F	British	1903–1945		KIA
Armel Guerne			1911–1980

H

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Virginia Hall	French	American	1906–1982	MBE, DSC	Post war worked for the CIA
Odette Hallowes	F	British	1912-1995	GC, MBE, CdeG	see Odette Sansom
John Hamilton			1907–1944
John Berisford "Jack" Hayes			1904-
Victor Hayes			1908–1944
Mary Hemmings			1914-
Mary Katherine Herbert	French	Irish	1903–1983		First WAAF Officer to join the SOE
Richard Harry Heslop	F	British	1907-1970	DSO, LdH, CdeG
Richard Hewitt		British	1917–1994	MBE	commanded the Allied No 1 Special Forces in the Italian Campaign
George Hiller	F	British	1916–1972		[10]
Wilhelm Holst	F	Norwegian	1895-1949	Croix de guerre avec palme, Legion d'honneur, 1st Knight of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, Medaille de la Resistance	Head of Billet circuit, Head of Eduard escape line to Spain
Marcel Homet			1897-unk
Desmond Hubble			1910–1944
Max Hymans	F	French	1900–1961

I

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Captain Basil Irwin	Yugoslavia and Italy			MC	Liaison Officer

J

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Ingolf Johannesen	1915-1998	Norwegian			Member of the Shetland gang. Crew onboard the KNM Hitra
Peter Johnsen
Sydney Jones			1902–1944
Ginette Julliane
Clement Jumeau			1914–1944

K

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Noor Inyat Khan	French	Russian	1914–1944	GC, CdeG, MiD	KIA at Dachau concentration camp[11]
Andrzej Kowerski		Polish	1912–1988		also known as Andrew Kennedy
Mary Knowles			1917–2003		also known as Christine
Marguerite Knight	French	British	1920–2004	MBE	Codename 'Nicole'
Peter Kemp	Cairo (Balkans), Force 136	British	1913–1993		Author of books Mine Were of Trouble (1957), No Colours or Crest (1958), Alms for Oblivion (1962), The Thorns of Memory (1990)

L

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Paul Emile Labelle	French	Canadian	1916-UKN	MC	Codename Nartex
Raymond LaBrosse	F	Canadian	1920 - 1986	MC, CdeG, LdH	Radio Operator - Shelburn Line (Shelbourne Line) Operation Bonaparte[12][13]
Max Lafaye	F	French	1912–1986	French Resistance Medal	Deported to KL Buchenwald (Jan 1944 - Jan 45)- Dora (Jan 45 - Avr 1945) - Bergen-Belsen (15. Apr. 1945)
A R Landsdell
Maurice Larcher
James Larose
Leif Larsen	Shetland Bus	Norwegian	1906-1990	DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar, Norwegian War Cross with two swords, St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch, War Medal with three stars, Defence Medal 1940–1945, Medal of Freedom etc.	The most highly decorated naval officer of world war II
Phyllis Latour	F	British (South African-born)	1921-	MBE, CdeG
Huub Lauwers		Dutch	1915-2004		Escaped back to England and survived war.
Madeleine Lavigne	F	French	unk-1945
Marcel Leccia
Jacques Paul Henri Ledoux
Christopher Lee		British	1922-
Lionel Lee
Cecily Lefort	French	British	1900–1945	CdeG, MiD	KIA at Ravensbrück concentration camp
Vera Leigh	French	British	1903–1944	King's Commendation for Brave Conduct	KIA at Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp
M A Lepage
E Lesout
Joël Le Tac	French	French	1918-2005	Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, Compagnon de la Libération , CdG, Médaille de la Résistance	Detained in Dora and Bergen-Belsen
Christopher LORD	Belgium	British	-1943		Killed on duty in June 1943 to Tanus (Tarn) in France.

M

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Amédée Maingard	F	Mauritian	1918–1981	DSO, CdeG
Max Manus	Norwegian Independent Company 1	Norwegian	1914-1996	DSO, MC & Bar, War Cross with two swords, Defence Medal 1940–1945 (with rosette), Medal of Freedom with silver palm etc.
Claude Raymond Malraux
Andre Adrian Jules Maugenet
Comte Jacques-Arthus Marc de Montalembert
Ernest Miller
Gavin Maxwell	Instructor	British	1914–1969
James Andrew Mayer
James Francis George Mennesson
Francois Gerard Michel
George Millar	F	British		DSO MC
G B McBain
John Kenneth Macalister	F	Canadian	1914–1944		KIA
S Makowski
R M A Mathieu
W. Stanley Moss	F133, F136	British	1921–1965	MC
Pierre Louis Mulsant
Buntie Aurelle Neredah Macklin-Sprake	UK	British	1919 - 2010		Married Arie Van Duyn. Dutch SOE Radio Operator

N

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Eileen Nearne	French	British	1921–2010	MBE, CdeG	Sister of SOE agents Jacqueline & Francis Nearne. Codename 'Rose'.
Francis Nearne	F	British			Brother of SOE agents Eileen & Jacqueline Nearne
Jacqueline Nearne	French	British	1916–1982	MBE	Sister of SOE agents Eileen & Francis Nearne. Codename 'Josette'.
Isidore Newman	French	British	c.1916–1944	MBE[14]	Captured, and shot at Mauthausen on 6 September 1944 with 45 other agents.[15]
Alfred Newton					[16]
Henry Newton					[16]
Gilbert Norman	F	British	1914–1944		KIA

O

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Sonia Olschanezky	French	Russian/French	1923–1944		KIA at Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp
Maureen O'Sullivan	French	British	1918–1994	CdeG, MBE	WAAF

P

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Paul Baptiste Pardi
George Wyndham Parker	Norwegian Independent Company 1	British	1913-1998	MC, MiD, Norwegian War Cross with two swords	Mission planner
Alv Kristian Pedersen	Norwegian Independent Company 1	Norwegian	1908-1982	MBE + various Norwegian
Maurice Pertschuk	F	British	1921-1945	MBE, Croix de Guerre, Legion of Honor	Killed at Buchenwald
Harry Peulevé	F	British	1916–1963	DSO, MC	[17]
Frank Pickersgill	F	Canadian	1915–1944		KIA
Eliane Plewman	French	British	1917–1944	KCBC, CdeG	Codename 'Gaby'/ Agent Monk KIA at Dachau concentration camp

Q

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Anthony Quayle	Albania	British	1913–1989

R

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Adolphie Rabinovitch
Alex Rabinovich
Brian Dominic Rafferty
Denis Rake	French	British	1901–1976	MC	[18]
Charles Rechenmann
Harry Rée	F	British	1914-1991	DSO, MBE
Haviva Reik	Slovakia	Slovakian	1914–1944		KIA
Jean Renaud-Dandicolle
Anne Robertson			1920-
Lilian Rolfe	French	British	1914–1945	MBE, CdeG, MiD	KIA at Ravensbrück concentration camp
Jasper Rootham	Yugoslavia	British	1910–1990
Diana Rowden	French	British	1915–1944	MBE, CdeG, MiD	KIA at Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp
Yvonne Rudelatt	French	French	1897–1945		Died in service of typhus at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

S

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Roméo Sabourin	F	Canadian	1923–1944		KIA
Odette Sansom	French	British	1912–1995	GC, MBE, LdH	Also known by the surnames "Hallowes"[19] and "Churchill" (By marriage). Codename 'Lise'.
Anthony P B St.John	Burma	British	1925-1990
Paul F M Sarrette
Alexandre Schwatschko
Enzo Sereni	Italy	Italian	1905–1944		KIA
Henri P. Sevenet
John B. Selby	Yugoslavia	British	1915-1991	DSO, DFC, Partisan Star
Jack Andrew Eugene Marcel Sinclair
Jean Alexandre Robert Simon
Octave Anne Guillaume Simon
Krystyna Skarbek	French	Polish	1915–1952	GM, MBE, CdeG	Better known by her pseudonm Christine Granville[20]
Brian Skelly			1920–2001
Charles Milne Skepper
Einar Skinnarland	Norway	Norwegian	1918–2002	DCM
V. A. Soskice
Maurice Southgate	French	British	1913-1990	DSO	[21]
James William Spencer	British		1915- 1997|
M J G de St Genies
Arthur Staggs
George Reginald Starr	F	British	1904–1980	MD, DSO	Brother of John Renshaw Starr
John Renshaw Starr	F	British	unk-1996		Brother of George Reginald Starr
Arthur Steele
Brian Stonehouse	F	British	1918–1998	MBE
Francis Suttill	F	British	1910–1945	DSO	KIA[22]
Violette Szabo	French	British	1921–1945	GC, MBE, CdeG	KIA at Ravensbrück concentration camp[23]
Hannah Szenes	Yugoslavia	Hungarian	1921–1944		KIA in Budapest
Gunnar Sønsteby	Norwegian Independent Company 1	Norwegian	1918–2012	DSO, 1939–45 Star, War Cross with three Swords, Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, Norwegian Police Cross of Honour, Norwegian Defence Cross of Honour, Defence Medal 1940–1945 with rosette, Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal, Medal of Freedom with silver palm etc.	Most highly decorated Norwegian of WWII.

T

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Jacques Taschereau
Paul Raymond Tessier	F	British	1916-1944	MiD
Paul-Émile Thibeault
Michael Trotobas

U

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
P L Ullman

V

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
François Vallée
Philippe de Vomécourt
Arne Værum		Norwegian	1919-1942		KIA in Telavåg, Norway
Arie Van Duyn	Holland	Dutch		OBE	Married Buntie Macklin-Sprake (Radio Operator Trainer)

W

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Nancy Wake	French	Australian	1912-2011	GC, LdH, CdeG, Médaille de la Résistance	Known by her codenames; "Helene" to the British, Andree to the French resistance and Witch in operations. Also known as Gertie to her closest colleagues. She was nicknamed 'White Mouse' by the Gestapo as she continued to evade capture by them.
Winifred Watkins	Intelligence 1939-1946	British	1916-?	Known as 'Betty'[24]
Anne-Marie Walters	French	British	1923–1998	MBE, CdeG	Codename 'Colette'.
Peter Wand-Tetley
David Whytehead Sibrée
Odette Wilen	French
E M Wilkinson
John Prentice Wilkinson	no.1 Special Forces	British	1915-1945		Killed in action
George Alfred "Teddy" Wilkinson
Jean-Pierre Wimille	F	French	1908–1949
Pearl Witherington	French	British	1914–2008	MBE, CBE, CdeG, LdH	[25]
Jean Worms
Dagmar Witherspoon	British| |1922-2011|

Y

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas	F	British	1902–1964	GC, MC*, CdeG, CLdH	Best known by his code name "White Rabbit"[26]
John Young
John Cuthbert Young

Z

Name	SOE Section	Nationality	Born-Died	Awards	Notes
Robert Charles Zaehner	Iran	British	1913–74		Worked for MI6 after the war
Guido Zembsh-Schreve			1916-

Key

Note	Description	Explanation
CBE	Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire	Commander of the British order of chivalry.
CdeG	Croix de guerre 1939–1945	French military decoration created on September 26, 1939, to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis force at any time during World War II
DSC	Distinguished Service Cross	British gallantry medal awarded during active operations against the enemy
FANY	First Aid Nursing Yeomanry	British independent all-female unit active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars.
GC	George Cross	The highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom. It is highest gallantry award for civilians as well as for military personnel in actions which are not in the face of the enemy or for which purely military honours would not normally be granted.
GM	George Medal	The second highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom It awards civilian gallantry in the face of enemy action and brave deeds more generally.
KCBC	King's Commendation for Brave Conduct	British commendation to acknowledged brave acts by civilians and members of the military in non-warlike circumstances during a time of war or in peacetime where the action would not otherwise be recognised by an existing award
KIA	Killed in Action	A casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces.
LdH	Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur	French order that is the highest decoration in France.
MBE	Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire	Member of the British order of chivalry.
MiD	Mentioned in Despatches	An official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the person's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.
MC	Military Cross	The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration and is awarded in recognition of "an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land to all members, of any rank in Our Armed Forces…"
WAAF	Women's Auxiliary Air Force

See also

• List of female SOE agents
• SOE F Section networks

References

1. ↑ Claude de Baissac - SOE Agents in France
2. ↑ Yolande Beekman - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
3. ↑ Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agent Harry Peulevé - AUTHOR Mission
4. ↑ Denise Bloch - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
5. ↑ Special Forces - Roll Of Honour
6. ↑ Marcel Defence - SOE Agents in France
7. ↑ Hugh Dormer - SOE Agents in France
8. ↑ The Man Who Went Back,Lucien Dumais, Leo Cooper Ltd,1974
9. ↑ Lucien Dumais - Roll of Honour
10. ↑ George Hiller - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
11. ↑ Noor Inayat Khan - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
12. ↑ David Twiston Davies, Canada from Afar: The Daily Telegraph Book of Canadian Obituaries, Dundurn, 1996
13. ↑ Raymond LaBrosse - Roll of Honour
14. ↑ "NEWMAN, ISIDORE". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. 
15. ↑ "North East War Memorials Project". newmp.org.uk. 
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Alfred and Henry Newton - SOE Agents in France
17. ↑ Nigel Perrin - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
18. ↑ Denis Rake - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
19. ↑ Odette Hallowes - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
20. ↑ Christine Granville/Krystyna Skarbek - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
21. ↑ Maurice Southgate - SOE Agents in France
22. ↑ Francis Suttill - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
23. ↑ Violette Szabo - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
24. ↑ HS 9/1561/1
25. ↑ Pearl Witherington - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
26. ↑ Forest Yeo-Thomas - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France