Britain's Secret Women in France. By 1942 SOE was in desperate need of new recruits for their dangerous missions in France and they turned to a previously unexplored group - women. These female recruits came from all levels of society and were often motivated by an idealistic love of France and a desire to play a part in its liberation. Without doubt their contributions to Britain's secret missions of resistance and sabotage saved numerous lives. Here, for the first time, the story of all forty of these extraodinary women is told. It is a story that deserves to be read by everyone. reviews in national press