Spy Princess by Shrabani Basu

Author:Shrabani Basu
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780752463681
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2011-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

The Fall of Prosper

Noor had still not received her own wireless set so she continued to use the transmitter at Grignon. She worked side by side with Norman, who helped her get on her feet. Norman told her to be very careful of her security, to memorise her plans and then burn them, as the Germans were always on the lookout for wireless operators. They worked from the greenhouse while the gardener, Marius Maillard, kept guard. Maillard also helped with the reception of parachute equipment. Noor took Garry’s messages to transmit from Grignon. She was also introduced by Antelme to Robert Gieules, an administrator at the Compagnie Générale des Conserves, who had been recruited to help F-section, and to Paul Arrighi, an advocate, who helped the French Resistance, with whom she would work closely later. She got on well with her colleagues and soon settled into her new role.

On the morning of 21 June, Suttill met Déricourt and Rémy Clément at Gare d’Austerlitz to plan the handover of SOE agent Richard Heslop of the Marksman circuit and an airman, Taylor, for return to England. He then waited with Norman, Borrel, the Guernes and Marcel Charbonnier at a café in the station for two agents from the Sologne, Pierre Culioli and Yvonne Rudellat, who were supposed to bring with them two recently arrived Canadian agents, John Macalister and Frank Pickersgill. None of them arrived, as they had fallen into the hands of the Germans. Later, Suttill lunched with Armel Guerne unaware that the destruction of the Prosper circuit had been set in motion.

That same night (21/22 June), Suttill, Professor Balachowsky and members of the reception committee had to go to a farmhouse at Roncey-aux-Alluets near Grignon to receive some parachute drops. One of these contained Noor’s transmitter and a suitcase with her personal effects. Unfortunately the parachute came down on a tree, and the suitcase burst open spilling all her clothes on the branches. It was crucial to remove all the evidence, so the men had to work into the early hours carefully retrieving each item and repacking it in her suitcase. Several of the other containers had also been scattered around and could not be traced. The reception committee were also worried because they had not seen F-section agent George Connerade (Jacquot), who was to be dropped that night. Armel Guerne was left in charge of the committee to carry out further searches the next day and Norman returned to Grignon to receive an early morning transmission from London.1

Norman received the message giving him the number of parcels and confirming that Connerade had been parachuted. The reception committee set out immediately to search the grounds and at 10 a.m. Guerne found Connerade’s parachute neatly folded on the ground and some distance from it, his suitcase. By noon Norman had also found two of Noor’s radio sets. Everything was quickly removed and hidden at Grignon.

On the evening of 22 June Norman, Antelme, Borrel and Suttill gathered at Guerne’s flat at 12 rue Lalande to discuss the final results of the parachute drop.

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