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A veteran interview with

Noreen Riols

Norren found herself working as an SOE ‘honey trap’. In her interview she provides some fascinating detail about how she carried out her work…

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About Noreen Riols

Born in Malta, Noreen travelled widely due to her father being in the Royal Navy and developed a gift for languages. Noreen begins her recollections leaving the French Lycée school in London at eighteen to be interviewed at the Foreign Office and being asked to report to S.O.E. (Special Operations Executive) leader Colonel Buckmaster at Norgeby House in Baker Street. From there she met Captain Harry Ree at Montagu Mansions and was instructed to tell nobody about what she would be involved in going forward.

She recalls being sent to Lord Montague’s finishing school at Beaulieu in the New Forest, training in intelligence gathering and being used as a decoy. Joining the French speaking F Section in the S.O.E. she tells riveting stories about her work as an agent, losing enemy agents in a crowd, and trying to extract information from them at various parties. She explains passing messages by dropping newspapers and speaking without moving her lips.

Noreen later recalls meeting famous characters throughout WW2 including agents Kim Philby, Paul Dehn, cryptologist Leo Marks and intelligence officer Vera Atkins. She also describes the ‘drop’ when a Lysander aircraft would fly an agent into enemy territory, the heartbreak if they didn’t return, and the relationships she formed even with their shielded identities.

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martyn Cox
Reviewed by:
Vicky Barnes

Transcripts:
Please note that transcripts and closed captions in the video player are automatically generated by Vimeo.

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Home | Veterans | Noreen Riols

A veteran interview with

Noreen Riols

Noreen-Riols-Still

Norren found herself working as an SOE ‘honey trap’. In her interview she provides some fascinating detail about how she carried out her work…

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Riols, Noreen. A Veteran Interview with Noreen Riols. Interview by Martyn Cox. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/noreen-riols/. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
APA Style:
Riols, N. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Noreen Riols [Interview by Martyn Cox]. Legasee. Retrieved July 15, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/noreen-riols/
Chicago Style:
Riols, Noreen. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Noreen Riols. Interview by Martyn Cox. Legasee. Accessed July 15, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/noreen-riols/
Harvard Style:
Riols, N. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Noreen Riols. [Interviewed by Martyn Cox]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/noreen-riols/ (Accessed: 15 July 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Riols, N. A Veteran Interview with Noreen Riols [Internet]. Interview by M. Cox. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Jul 15]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/noreen-riols/
An interview with

Ann Bonsor

Ann Bonsor was a Wireless operator at SOE's 'Massingham' base in Algeria.

Ann Bonsor shares her experience of joining the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) and undergoing complex training as a wireless telegraphist. Despite challenging shifts in confined spaces, Ann and her colleagues enjoyed their work. Sent to various locations including Algiers, Corsica, the south of France, and Sicily, they also worked at SOE bases in London and Cairo. Many women couldn't keep up, but Ann persevered, maintaining both her position and an active social life. Her time with FANY was exciting but also a reminder of the serious nature of their work. After 15 months in North Africa, Ann was transferred to SOE in Bari and then Sienna. As work slowed, she set up an educational course for younger FANY members. Ann fondly recalls her time in FANY as a tremendously rich experience.
Service:
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An interview with

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From Naval cadet to ship commander, Philip shares his vivid and gripping recollections of his time in the Falklands War.

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Photo Gallery icon 6 Photos
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