May’s Silent Warriors: Honoring the SOE Women Born This Month
As the month of May unfolds, we turn the page on another chapter of remembrance—this time for the five brave women of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Section F, who were born during this spring month.
From Christine Granville, the legendary Polish countess with nerves of steel, to Francine Agazarian, the radio operator who vanished back into everyday life, these women carried secrets, messages, and hope across enemy lines. All of them left an imprint on the war—and on history—that must never be erased.
May’s list brings together not only familiar names like Lise de Baissac, who parachuted into France as part of the earliest SOE landings, but also quieter heroines like Sonya Butt and Blanche Charlet, whose courage played out in quiet fields, coded messages, and midnight missions.
As with every monthly tribute, these posts are part of my effort to spotlight the women who inspire my Timeless Agents series—fiction rooted in real-life bravery. Through this blog, and across my social media, I hope to keep their memory vivid and enduring.
You can explore more about each woman through the links below each post, and I invite you to join me in honoring May’s Silent Warriors.
Christine Granville – Codename Pauline
Known as one of the most daring women to serve in the SOE, Christine Granville—born Krystyna Skarbek—was a Polish aristocrat who became Britain’s first and longest-serving female spy during WWII. Fluent in multiple languages and fearless in the field, Christine served in Poland, Hungary, North Africa, and France, showing extraordinary resourcefulness and resolve.
Her charm and cunning saved lives, including her own, as she bluffed her way past Gestapo officers and bribed her way into prisons to free captured comrades. She once skied across the Tatra Mountains in winter to deliver intelligence and, in another mission, reportedly pulled a knife on a Nazi officer.
Christine was described by one fellow agent as “a flaming sword of freedom”—a woman of instinct, grit, and sheer will. Tragically, she survived the war only to be murdered in London in 1952. Her legacy is immense, and her story is still told as one of the most compelling in the SOE’s history.
Francine Agazarian – Codename Marguerite
Francine Agazarian, born Françoise Isabella, was one of the many quietly heroic figures of the SOE. She served as a courier for the PROSPER network, working alongside her husband André Agazarian, who was a wireless operator. Together, they took enormous risks, delivering messages, coordinating arms drops, and maintaining vital communication lines for the Resistance in and around Paris.
In 1943, as German counter-intelligence closed in, Francine was recalled to London for her safety. Tragically, André was arrested shortly afterward and executed at Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1944.
The war left Francine a widow, and though she survived, her life was forever marked by the immense losses she endured, as she was the only one of her network to survive. Francine rarely spoke publicly about her experiences, quietly carrying the weight of memory.
She was later awarded the Croix de Guerre and the King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom for her bravery. Her story stands as a reminder that even among the survivors, the scars of war ran deep.
Lise de Baissac – Codename Odile
Few SOE agents embodied quiet determination like Lise de Baissac. Born into a French-Mauritian family, Lise was among the first women to parachute into occupied France in September 1942—an extraordinary feat for the time.
Operating under the codename Odile, and later Marguerite, she established safe houses, gathered intelligence, and coordinated Resistance activities around Poitiers, often cycling dozens of miles under the enemy’s nose. Known for her sangfroid, Lise approached each mission with steely calm and meticulous preparation.
During her second mission she joind her brother’s network SCIENTIST network work that supported the D-Day landings and helped destabilize German communication lines.
After the war, she was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the MBE, yet remained strikingly humble about her wartime contributions. Lise’s life and spirit inspired my novel The Color of Courage: Codename Odile, where I had the privilege of bringing her extraordinary story to a new generation of readers.
Sonya Butt – Codename Blanche
At just 20 years old, Sonya Butt became one of the youngest female agents to serve with the SOE. Trained as a courier and wireless operator, she parachuted into occupied France in 1944, working with extraordinary courage to maintain communications between Resistance groups and London.
Despite the immense dangers—constant surveillance, the threat of betrayal, and brutal punishment if captured—Sonya moved through her missions with resilience and quiet bravery.
After the liberation of France, Sonya did what few of the other female agents managed: she built a joyful, lasting life. She married fellow SOE agent Guy d’Artois, moved to Canada, and together they raised six children.
Her post-war life was filled with the very things so many fought to protect: family, freedom, and peace. Sonya’s story stands as a testament to hope and new beginnings after unimaginable risk.
Blanche Charlet – Codename Christiane
Before the war, Blanche Charlet lived a vibrant life as an art dealer, running a gallery specializing in modern art in Brussels. But when Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, Blanche fled to Britain—only to return to danger voluntarily. Recruited by the SOE, she parachuted into occupied France in August 1942 under the codename Christiane. As a courier for the VENTRILOQUIST network, she transported vital intelligence under constant threat. Captured by the Germans, she endured harsh imprisonment but staged a daring escape in November 1942, making her way across France before returning to England via Brittany in April 1944.
Awarded the MBE for her bravery, Blanche lived the remainder of her life more quietly, a survivor of extraordinary times. Her journey from art galleries to underground resistance operations is a testament to how courage can bloom from the most unexpected places.
Conclusion: May’s Survivors
Among all the months we honor, May stands apart for a rare and remarkable reason: every single SOE woman born this month survived the war. Christine Granville, Francine Agazarian, Lise de Baissac, Sonya Butt, and Blanche Charlet—all faced imprisonment, betrayal, near capture, and unimaginable danger. And yet, through adaptability, endurance, and sheer will, they returned.
Their lives after the war took many forms—quiet anonymity, joyful family life, continuing service—but their survival itself stands as a defiant victory. May’s daughters remind us that courage sometimes means not only fighting, but surviving when the guns fell silent.
