The Churchill Deception: The True Story of Peter Churchill in World War II

by Peter Jacobs

To carry out one clandestine mission required courage, but to do it four times required courage on a quite extraordinary scale. Yet, that is exactly what Peter Churchill did. Peter Morland Churchill was born in Amsterdam in 1909 to British diplomat William Churchill and his wife Violet. A particularly gifted linguist, upon graduating from university, Churchill followed in his father’s footsteps and entered into the British diplomatic service before eventually joining the Home Office Advisory Committee.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Churchill’s professional exploits and linguistic prowess led him to the Special Operations Executive (SOE) – a secret British organisation formed in 1940 to carry out subversive warfare against the enemy in Nazi-occupied Europe. Churchill was among the early volunteers for the SOE, and joined as an Intelligence Officer in the French Section in 1941\. Throughout his time in the organisation, Churchill made it into France on four separate missions. Each of these assignments were hazardous, requiring courage, resourcefulness and tireless hard work. Churchill was successful in his first three missions, but these hazards caught up with him and he was captured at the beginning of his fourth deployment to France. He endured torture, solitary confinement and the everyday horrors of the concentration camps as a result.

He eventually made it back home at the end of the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his outstanding courage. The story of Peter Churchill and his time in the SOE is an incredible one. This remarkable history truly does justice to these experiences and will captivate any reader interested in the SOE or in the Second World War in general.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2024

Reviews

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Morland Churchill (14 Jan 1909-1 May 1972), was the son of William Algernon Churchill,a British Consul and art connoisseur,and Violet Myers,a classical singer.His brothers were RAF pilot Walter Churchill, and Oliver Churchill, also an SOE officer.He studied at Malvern School.He read Modern Languages at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.He excelled at linguistics and sports.He then worked in the British diplomatic service.From September 1939-August 1940, he worked in the Home Office Advisory Committee and later became its president.

In WWII, he was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps and also underwent commando training.In April 1941,he joined the Special Operations Executive and was assigned to the French Section in June 1941.He was infiltrated into France 4 times, and spent 225 days behind enemy lines.His third mission was to organise and coordinate the SOE F Section "Spindle" Network in Cannes which directed the delivery of supplies to support the CARTE Organisation run by André Girard.Among his couriers was Odette Sansom «Lise», with whom he was to develop a close relationship and subsequently marry in 1947. Adolphe Rabinovitch «Arnaud» was his wireless operator.In November 1942, a CARTE courier, André Marsac, was arrested in Paris by Abwehr intelligence officer Hugo Bleicher and his interrogation in Fresnes prison led to the arrest of another CARTE member, Roger Bardet.Bardet became a double agent, and was released.They revealed the SPINDLE network to Bleicher.In April 1943, Bleicher arrested Churchill and Sansom. He claimed he was related to Winston Churchill and that they were a married couple to make themselves seem more valuable prisoners and and less likely to be executed as spies.They were sent to Fresnes Prison and then different concentration camps, both escaped execution, but they were tortured.On May 4th, 1945, Peter was liberated by the Americans.

The 1950 film Odette recounted their wartime exploits. Peter and Odette divorced in 1956.In 1957, Peter remarried to former model, Irene Hoyle.
He continued to live in France after the war, settling in Le Rouret near Cannes, where he worked as a real estate agent.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of true life spy stories especially that cover the derring-do of ordinary men doing extraordinary things, you will enjoy this book. Peter Churchill was one of the best and it is only now that his story is being told. From his recruitment where he showed great promise to some and mediocre to others, he proved to be one of the best. With his facility with French, he was a natural to go into France and work with the Resistance. Each time a spy landed in France, great risks were taken and their lives were in danger from beginning of the mission to the end. Peter did that not once, not twice, not even three times. He did four forays into enemy territory.

The book gives quite detailed accounts of his life and escapades. It is an honour long overdue. Four purrs and two paws up.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, maybe this one's on me. I did not pay attention to the pitch after I had read the title (which felt quite self explanatory) and for some reason, I was expecting Peter Churchill to be related to Winston Churchill, and I was a bit disappointed when he was not.
His story is not less impressive because he is no cousin or so of the Prime Minister, but the writing did not fully work out for me. It felt both a little bit dry and like reading bits of imagination stuffed into real facts to fill the gaps.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.