![]() Helm tells us that after the war, Atkins went searching in Germany for her missing agents, 100 of whom were Missing Presumed Dead, and twelve of whom were women. Many Australians will know about this woman who despatched female agents into France for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), from the portrayal of Hilda Pierce in the TV series Foyle’s War or Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond novels and films. Sarah Helm became interested in the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp when she was writing A Life in Secrets, Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WW2. There’s a quiet courage between the pages of this book, not to be dismissed because it is of a different order to the heroism among the victims whose fate the reader comes to know. Sarah Helm’s intention was to rescue the historical truth of a forgotten atrocity, but it must have been a gruelling project. ![]() Towards the end of this harrowing book, when I just wanted the horror to end, I found myself considering the effect of writing it on its author. ![]()
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