The spies who loved us

Their exploits would have made Bond proud and, now, these two fearless female undercover agents are joining the ranks of notable figures to be honoured with one of London’s blue plaques, recounts Catriona Gray

- Catriona Gray

IF you take a stroll around London, you’re likely to spot a few of English Heritage’s iconic blue plaques, which mark the homes of famous writers, artists and other notable people, from military leaders to scientific innovators. Each year, a handful of new names is added to this impressive roster and, in March, English Heritage announced that this year’s list includes two leading female spies, who risked their lives on top-secret missions.

Christine Granville was Britain’s longest-serving female agent during the Second World War and her daring exploits read like something from an adventure novel. Born Krystyna Skarbek, the daughter of a charming, but dissolute Polish aristocrat and a Jewish heiress, she grew up on a country estate in Trzepnica, riding horses, roaming the fields and sledging in winter. She was clearly both beautiful and precocious—she was placed in a national beauty pageant and was expelled from her boarding school for setting fire to a priest’s cassock (when the priest was still in it).

However, when her family went bankrupt in the 1920s, the young Granville suddenly had to support herself. On the outbreak of war, she sailed to London and, with characteristic determination, became a secret agent two years before the Special Operations Executive officially recruited women.