Show Notes
In this episode of Spymasters, Antonia Senior speaks with bestselling historian Dr. Helen Fry about her riveting new book, The White Lady.
Set in German-occupied Belgium during World War I and World War II, Fry’s book uncovers the incredible true story of a secret spy network that risked everything to gather intelligence behind enemy lines. Together, Fry and Senior explore:
How ordinary women became extraordinary spies
The ingenious knitting codes and covert communication systems they used
The bravery of Thérèse de Radiguès
How these early networks inspired were remobilised in the run up to World War II
The untold stories of courage, deception, and sacrifice that shaped modern intelligence work
If you love stories of espionage, resistance networks, women in war, and WWI intelligence, this conversation is not to be missed.
📘 Buy Helen Fry’s The White Lady on Amazon:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1526779318
“Espionage was a family affair in many cases.”“The genius of deception saved lives.”“Bravery and sacrifice — the cost of freedom.”
00:00 — Introduction: Helen Fry and The White Lady01:07 — The Espionage Networks of World War I03:47 — The Knitting Women of Belgium07:20 — The Consequences of Espionage10:08 — Thérèse de Radiguès’s Heroism13:41 — The Significance of the White Lady Network15:56 — How Intelligence Shaped the War19:33 — The Return of Resistance in WWII23:45 — Thérèse’s Defiance Against the Gestapo27:21 — The Legacy of Women in Espionage31:22 — Closing Reflections
WWI espionage, Helen Fry, The White Lady, women spies, Belgian resistance, SOE, secret agents, female intelligence networks, World War I history, Spymasters podcast, Antonia West, hidden histories, British intelligence, resistance heroes
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