After a tragic childhood among the Great War cemeteries of Flanders fields, a troubled young woman searches for love and meaning in war-ravaged Europe. Elaine Madden's quest takes her from occupied Belgium through the chaos of Dunkirk, where she flees disguised as a British soldier, into the London Blitz, where she finally begins to discover herself. Recruited to T Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) as a "fast courier," she is parachuted back to the country of her birth to undertake a top secret political mission and help speed its liberation from Nazi oppression. Elaine Madden never claimed to be a heroine, but her story proves otherwise. Its centerpiece--war service as one of only two women SOE agents parachuted into enemy-occupied Belgium--is just one episode in an extraordinary real-life drama of highs and lows, love, loss, and betrayal. Relayed to the author in the final years of her life, Elaine's true story of courage and humor in testing times is more intriguing, more compelling than fiction.
I Heard My Country Calling 1
Elaine Madden, the Unsung Heroine of the SOE
After a tragic childhood among the Great War cemeteries of Flanders fields, a troubled young woman searches for love and meaning in war-ravaged Europe. Elaine Madden's quest takes her from occupied Belgium through the chaos of Dunkirk, where she flees disguised as a British soldier, into the London Blitz, where she finally begins to discover herself. Recruited to T Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) as a "fast courier," she is parachuted back to the country of her birth to undertake a top secret political mission and help speed its liberation from Nazi oppression. Elaine Madden never claimed to be a heroine, but her story proves otherwise. Its centerpiece--war service as one of only two women SOE agents parachuted into enemy-occupied Belgium--is just one episode in an extraordinary real-life drama of highs and lows, love, loss, and betrayal. Relayed to the author in the final years of her life, Elaine's true story of courage and humor in testing times is more intriguing, more compelling than fiction.
- ISBN:
- 9780750961257
- 9780750961257
- Category:
- Local history
- Format:
- Hardback
- Publication Date:
- 01-12-2015
- Language:
- English
- Publisher:
- History Press Limited, The
- Country of origin:
- United Kingdom
- Dimensions (mm):
- 228.6x152.4x25.4mm
- Weight:
- 0.56kg
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Reviews
1 Review
As an Aussie relative of Elaine and given the abrupt ending of the relationship between Elaine and her father, told in the book "The children who fought Hitler", I am pleased the author took the time and care to explore and unfold this relationship in Elaine's biography. Her father, Larry, was born in St. Kilda, Victoria and served in France in the Great War. He eventually returned back Australia in 1946 after service with the Pioneers Corps in London during WW2.
The chapter on London June 1940-December 1943 brought home to me how much Londoners suffered, an aspect of Elaine's time told so well.
The book portrays Elaine's life in a sensitive, entertaining, natural and truthful way. A great read, an engrossing novel. Loved it.
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