OUR SOCIETY OF WOMEN WRITERS AND JOURNALISTS MOURN THE LOSS OF NOREEN RIOLS

 

We are so very proud of our friend and overseas member, Noreen Riols who died on 2 January in her Paris home.  Noreen was one of the last-surviving veterans of the World War Two Special Operations Executive (SOE) has been remembered following her death at the age of 98.

Noreen was posted to the SOE's school at Beaulieu in the New Forest, where agents were trained to carry out espionage missions behind enemy lines.

One of her roles was to act as a so-called honey trap in Bournemouth hotels to see whether the trainee spies would spill their secrets.

In 1944, at the age of eighteen, Ms Riols applied to join the Women's Royal Naval Service, which she said appealed to her "because the hat looked most seductive". However, she was sent to the SOE's secret headquarters in Baker Street, London, because of her proficiency in French.

Noreen worked "passing on messages", before being posted to the Beaulieu Estate where the SOE conducted final training. Future agents were schooled in one of 11 buildings, each for a different country, and taught to carry out sabotage, assassinations and other missions. She also worked with Colonel Maurice Buckmaster.