The Secret Ministry of Ag. and Fish

by Noreen Riols

'My mother thought I was working for the Ministry of Ag. and Fish.’ So begins Noreen Riols’ compelling memoir of her time as a member of Churchill’s ‘secret army’, the Special Operations Executive. It was 1943, just before her eighteenth birthday, Noreen received her call-up papers, and was faced with either working in a munitions factory or joining the Wrens. A typically fashion-conscious young woman, even in wartime, Noreen opted for the Wrens - they had better hats. But when one of her interviewers realized she spoke fluent French, she was directed to a government building on Baker Street. It was SOE headquarters, where she was immediately recruited into F-Section, led by Colonel Maurice Buckmaster. From then until the end of the war, Noreen worked with Buckmaster and her fellow operatives to support the French Resistance fighting for the Allied cause. Sworn to secrecy, Noreen told no one that she spent her days meeting agents returning from behind enemy lines, acting as a decoy, passing on messages in tea rooms and picking up codes in crossword puzzles. Vivid, witty, insightful and often moving, this is the story of one young woman’s secret war, offering readers an authentic and compelling insight into what really went on in Churchill’s ‘secret army’ from one of its last surviving members.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, Memoir, War, Biography, Espionage

324 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2013

About the author

Noreen Patricia Riols was a British novelist. During the Second World War, she worked for the Special Operations Executive, a British espionage and sabotage organisation.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read most of this book a couple of years ago but for some reason never quite finished, so I went back and read the entire thing. I saw some reviews on Goodreads that wished it was MORE of her memoir and not so many stories of the agents' experiences who never came back. I understand that sentiment; her day-to-day experiences would have been fun to read, too, but I also appreciate how she is the only one left who knew these people and who could tell their story. It's sobering and heartbreaking at times but also so interesting to read first-hand knowledge.

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as interesting as its opening implies, this anecdotal autobiography spends a lot of time describing the lives and times of other agents in the SOE, and not half as much time as it should have on Riols' own experiences.

Riols undoubtedly had a fascinating war job: bilingual in English and French, she was headhunted for Churchill's SOE French group when she went to sign up for her war service. The opening chapter shows off her cheeky, self-deprecating sense of humour brilliantly, and the reader thinks they're in for a thrilling ride through the uncharted waters of secret agent-running. But instead of delivering on her ample promise, Riols diverts her narrative again and again, wanting to tell the stories of people whose lives she, I suppose, believed were more interesting and worthy of page space than her own.

This is a real shame, because I didn't pick up this book to read short biographies of famous and obscure SOE agents, no matter how horrifying and fascinating. Riols' anguish, her sorrow and fear and pain at the fates of many of these agents, is clear on the page. She felt deeply for the work she was doing, and I think she also felt that her own story was not enough to fill the book. She wanted to tell the stories of these men and women (and I did appreciate her focus on the women agents who parachuted into occupied France, half of whom did not return) who had had to remain in secrecy and obscurity for so long. But if so, then this book is misleadingly published as her war experiences, and I was fairly disappointed.

Only briefly throughout the book do we get flashes of Riols' own experiences and her own personality, and those short passages and chapters are the standout pieces. When she talks about herself, she twinkles with sarcastic good humour, with the thrill and also the absurdity of her work, with the helplessness of war and of remaining utterly secret, with remaining behind while others flung themselves into danger. But as soon as she veers yet again into the story of another of her colleagues and friends, that twinkle is extinguished, and she writes a pleasant, bland, occasionally horrifying short piece about their life, and the aftermath of their war, before shifting on again.

It was a disappointing read, in the end - I could happily have devoured a whole book of Riols' witty, sparkling memories, including her heartbreaking continuance of her SOE traditions as her former colleagues dwindle. This was still interesting, but nowhere near so much as I'd hoped.

[Stephanie Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read.

When the files opened in 2000 and Churchill's Secret Army was then able to share what had happened during the Second World War, it was already too late for many to share as they had already died. Noreen is one of the last surviving members of that group and shares incredible stories of heroism and bravery amidst a cruel background of Nazi domination.

I not only heartily recommend this book to everyone, but it held special meaning for me as I personally know the author. She is as candid in person as what she writes in this book. I love her dearly and thank her for sharing stories that would not have been heard had she not been courageous enough to tell.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very very poignant and beautifully written book that brings all of the SOE members to life and honors them well.

This book was incredible and felt more like a memorial to all of the SOE rather than just a memoir, though the later 1/3 of the book was definitely more of a memoir. Don't read this book at work because your co-workers will ask you why you are sobbing at lunch.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can say enough good things about this book. Reading it feels like sitting down to a cup of tea with Mrs. Riols and hearing her tell her story. The way she gives a voice to the SOE agents, especially the many who didn't come home, is just wonderful. I will say that I wouldn't recommend this book for younger readers because some descriptions of the torture and deaths that the agents were subjected to are graphic. But, this is a must read for anyone interested in WWII history. It's made me want to dig out my DVD of my grandpa talking about his war experience.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told by one of the last surviving members of "Churchill's Secret Army", the Special Operations Executive, this captivating memoir gives a fascinating insight into the far too often cut short lives and courageous deeds of F-Section's agents whose clandestine and immensely dangerous missions played an important yet frequently unrecognised role in WWII. While it would have been interesting to hear a little more about the author's own life and experiences and her phrasing occasionally got a little repetitive, this was a nevertheless a very intriguing read.

[Mitali · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book because the premise seemed interesting and I’ve always loved learning about the intelligence agencies and missions during WWI and WWII, but sadly this was a DNF for me. Reading about the different agents was interesting at first but I would’ve loved to have seen more of the SOE from Riols’ own perspective.

[Issi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did expect to learn more about Noreen's life and experiences in the SOE, but this book is more of a dedication to all the courageous people she knew and worked with during that time, most of whom were only recognized for their bravery fairly recently. A fascinating insight into Churchill's SOE though, and so interesting to read how this secret organization was so disliked by MI6 and De Gaulle too.

Having seen an extract (on YouTube) of one of Mme Riols' presentations to the public, I can't help but think that her story comes over much better when presented 'in person'. She obviously was, and still is, quite a girl!

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 19, Noreen Riols had just graduated from a French immersion school when Hitler's armed forces pummeled the Low Countries and France. She received her call up papers and thought she would be a good fit for the WRENS or for the French section of the BBC. The BBC thought so too, but the bureaucrat at the desk of the government department that doled out the war work said she had to become a munitions worker. Noreen blew her stack. The bureaucrat's boss heard her tirade, caught that she was fluent enough in French to satisfy the BBC, tested her in the language and sent her to an address she must not mention to anyone. Bemused, she went to a tatty little office and before she knew it, she had signed the Official Secrets Act, was threatened with death if she revealed anything she saw, heard or experienced "even to your mother", interrogated every which way imaginable and was hired by SOE (Special Operations Executive) - so secret that only Prime Minister Churchill was the government "boss" and MI6 was furious that SOE existed. (The "Special Operations" were sabotage, dirty tricks, and "ungentlemanly conduct". MI6 complained that SOE's antics would endanger their professional spies in Europe and the military complained that "soldiers must not fight dirty." That's why Churchill wanted the SOE: Hitler's chaps fought dirty, so the British had to fight dirty.)

Unlike other SOE agents we read about, Noreen was not parachuted into France. She was one of the office girls in the French Section at Baker Street, but she didn't just make coffee. She translated messages from English to French, to be broadcast by the BBC's French Service. She helped debrief agents brought from France. She even helped the trainers of the SOE's "school" by acting as a "Mata Hari" type. She would chat up the "graduates" in social situations to get them to spill secrets, and then report them to their "headmaster", or she would shadow one of them to see if they spotted her (or be the shadowed one and identify and try to lose the tail.) The students didn't know who she was and that she was part of the "racket".

That's one reason I liked this book: Ms. Riols story is of one the people behind the "unsung heroes", one who participated in the support work that got information to and from the people "in the field" and helped make sure that the candidates for "the field work" would be alert to their danger. She had to keep silent until the files were opened in 2013, and she had to keep her feelings to herself, even about people she knew who had disappeared in Europe or who have been treated unkindly by the history books. She has told a side of secret work that is not glamorous or noticeably dangerous; but SOE could not function without support staff like her.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should've been marvelous, but its subtitle -- "My Life in Churchill's School for Spies" -- isn't true. The book's hardly at all about that. It's mostly a flatly-written assemblage of stories about other people in the SOE, the Special Operations Executive during WWII that carried out resistance efforts in occupied territories. These stories are heroic, often upsetting, and ought to be exciting, but here somehow the awfulness is the only strong feeling to come through. The rest is a blur of faded memories, disdain from de Gaulle and other leaders, unanswerable questions, and clunky sentences.

Only occasionally, for brief paragraphs, does the author talk about her own "life in Churchill's School for Spies," but when she does the pace quickens, the stories get brighter and my attention reengages. But I never did get a good sense of what she actually DID in the SOE, and the stories feel incomplete.

There's a second part of the book about life after the war, less dramatic but still full of stories that had great potential to not be as flat and dull as they came out. She also again seems to tell about two-thirds of story before abandoning it. For example, she'll write about trying to locate a club for SOE alums, and asking the doorman at Harrod's for help. She tells us what he said, but she doesn't tell us whether or how she found the club that day. This partial telling happens throughout the book, and it's annoying.

She's keen to point out the high cost of the work the SOE agents did and the shameful way the agents were discarded after the war, and to make sure they are remembered now; and that's really admirable. I'm glad this book exists and that I read it, even though I think it could've been done better.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good actually. I started reading this on a Friday and finished reading it on the following Tuesday! I don't do that very often. Obviously this is one of those books which I couldn't put down.

The author relates what she did and what happened where she worked in her part of the SOE. She notes that those that volunteered for their assignments must have been and were incredibly brave. You can almost hear her cry when she writes of the fates of those who never returned and what happened specifically to four female agents that were captured. Sorry, but you'll have to read the book to find out. It's much too gruesome to give here.

The one thing that angered me is when after the war how the department and therefore the people were casually cast aside without so much as an afterthought as if their contributions hadn't really mattered. Their contributions were enormous and who knows what may have happened without the dedicated band of individuals who did what they did.

In my opinion this is another useful book that tells of what transpired within the walls of the Special Operations Executive and beyond.

[Damien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about the life of a member of Churchill's Secret Army in SOE F section, although not an agent that was sent to France but was involved in the training of agents. Book can be heartbreaking in parts with stories of agents that never returned. Agents that were so young and sacrificed their today so we could have a tomorrow. We should never forget the absolute chaos that war caused and the countless lives it ruined, the grief and heartbreak survivors carried with them for the rest of their lives. Puts alot of things in perspective and how utterly ridiculous some of the nonsense that exists in today's world actually is. War accomplishes nothing.

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was all right, but it was not the book I was hoping to read -- rather than being a memoir of her time working in the SoE, it is more about all of the other people who worked for the SoE and what sorts of things happened to them in Europe and whether or not they survived, and if they died how it was they died (horribly tortured at the hands of Nazis, mostly) and so forth. I am not sorry I read it, and of course Riols is welcome to write whatever book(s) she wants to write about her own life and experiences, but it was not really what it says on the cover.

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare look at a historical period from a woman's point of view told in an anecdotal style.

[Nissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book hidden away on my bookshelf for a couple of years now and totally forgot about it, and wow I’m so glad I found this gem because it was a really good book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best WWII memoirs I've ever read. Made the mistake of finishing it at work, though. Incredible stories of heroism.

[Madeline Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing sotry of the SO under Churchill in WWII. Read itand you will learn so much!
So well-written and full of incredible stories of bravery and sacrifice.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Jayne Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. A little long, but has a lot of stories about the people who were in the SOE (British CIA) in WWII. Tells about the women a lot. At the end, tells what happened to a lot of them. Some is sad, but not written in a sombre way or in too much detail on torture, etc.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, but had only one wish—that such a perceptive and courageous young woman had actually been in the field to give us more details of the actual operations. But even as it is, this book is rich in the kind of observation that took my breath away at the courage of her generation and what we owe them. I even read the appendix of the names of agents who sacrificed their young lives in enemy territory in the loneliest and tensest situations imaginable to help defeat the Nazis in Occupied France. I first learned of this book by picking up a Paris Match with a feature about the D-Day anniversary celebrations and saw a photo of the author and the leading saboteur of SOE, now in his nineties, standing together, the last two agents of Churchill's secret army.
The most painful reading was the way De Gaulle tortured some of these agents on British ground, in London itself, and told the survivors to get out of France almost as soon as armistice was declared, fearful that the SOE, Special Operations Executive, would get the credit they deserved for sabotaging the Germans and building up an army of resistance many thousands strong. The MI6 office doesn't come out of this account much better, looking down their noses at these 'gangsters' taught in disguise, explosives, radio communications, etc and then parachuting down 'blind' to set themselves up and start a cell of resistance.

Astonishing story.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really torn about this book; the author's story working in SOE during World War II is very interesting, but the book really seems to need a good editor. The raw material of the author's story is fascinating and she has a great voice, but it reads like a tape recorder was put in front of her and she told a bunch of interesting stories; I think the book could be vastly improved if it was set in chronological order, or at least had a stronger main narrative. As it is it's like spending an afternoon hearing the author reminisce, and while that's no bad thing, in its current form I ended up reading it in an afternoon and then forgetting most of it.

[Margaret Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book after seeing its author on French television and recognizing her as someone I'd met and heard speak many years ago. But I had no idea that she had been part of Churchill's secret school for spies, one for which he recruited attractive young women,or even that such a school had existed. Her account of spy training, dangerous missions into occupied territory, and the strained relationships with MI6 and de Gaulle, make for a very interesting read.

[Sheu Quen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thus concludes my reading of the nonfiction Special Operations Executive (SOE) by Noreen Riols. What a rollercoaster and mess of emotions the story left my heart in. From the agents being flown into occupied France where they faced horrors more terrifying than ghosts and apparitions to the pain and torture of the agents at the hands of the enemy, Hitler & Co., and the sadness at the loss of so many brave individuals... I'm nursing my emotions now.

[Jaima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice blend of humor and heroism, told in a frank, friendly and personable style. It was like sitting down with the author for lunch. The SOE agents had all kinds of stories- tragic, funny, inspiring, chilling. Though I feel like I got to know the author and her colleagues, I didn't often feel like I was her. This was a 'read to know' book, not a 'read to experience' one.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the subject matter is very good, I did not fully like how it was presented. There is such a wealth of information here, but by trying to cram in so many stories, I feel like the agents were not given the attention that they deserve.

The second half of the book that deals more exclusively with Riols, was much better presented.

That being said, it was still a good read!

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

3.5/5 A mostly enjoyable read, it seemed very disjointed really, less about the author and more about the people she knew and worked with. Still I knew very little about the SOE before reading this and the stories were fascinating and very emotional.

[Carol Hislop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the amazing stories of the work of resistance fighters in the Second World War. I had no idea of the organisation behind this work. These people were amazingly brave and, in general, haven't been recognised for their extreme efforts.

[Sue Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about one woman's secret war experiences in the SOE and her life after the war up to present day. Fascinating story of the very brave people working to support the French Resistance.