Memorial Female SOE Agents & Special Duties Squadrons Tempsford

This memorial was erected in honour of the female SOE officers who were dropped over occupied Europe, and for the men and women the 138 and 161 Special Duties Squadrons of RAF Tempsford who supported and transported them.

The memorial was unveiled by the then Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) on 3 December 2013. Apart from the names of the 75 female officers, it lists the code poem used by SOE to communicate with one of them, Violette Szabo. The poem was written by Leo Marks

The life I have
Is all I have
And the life I have
Is yours.

The love that I have
Of the life I have
Is from you and from you and from you.

A sleep I shall have
A rest I will have
Yet death will be but a pause.

For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours and yours

20 of these 75 women who came from different countries were executed or died in captivity.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar & Dennis Simpson
• Photos: Dennis Simpson