The White Lady: The Story of Two Key British Secret Service Networks Behind German Lines

by Helen Fry

A major new history of the two most important British secret service networks in the First and Second World Wars

Intelligence gathering was essential to both sides in the First and Second World Wars. At the heart of MI6’s efforts were two key networks in Belgium. Agents in The White Lady acted as couriers, saboteurs, and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service.

Helen Fry charts the history of these pivotal intelligence networks for the first time. Drawing on recently declassified information, Fry examines who the agents were, how they were recruited, and how the intelligence they gathered directly impacted the outcome of both wars. Operators in the field sent over eight hundred radio messages to London and delivered more than a thousand reports, including groundbreaking information on Hitler’s secret weapon the V-1. This is a compelling account of the agents who risked their lives and found ingenious ways to smuggle intelligence out of occupied Belgium.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2025

About the author

Helen Fry has written numerous books on the Second World War with particular reference to the 10,000 Germans and Austrians who fought for Britain in the war.

Other books by Helen include histories of various Anglo-Jewish communities, including The Lost Jews of Cornwall (with Keith Pearce); and The Jews of Exeter. Her titles also include books on Christian-Jewish Dialogue. Her textbook Christian-Jewish Dialogue: A Reader has been translated into Russian, Czech and Polish.

Helen has branched out into fiction with James Hamilton under the pseudonym JH Schryer. Together they have written two novels of historical fiction and been in development on scripts with Green Gaia Films for a TV drama based on their novels.

Helen is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Dept of Hebrew & Jewish Studies at University College London and Lecturer at the London Jewish Cultural Centre. She is a member of The Biographers’ Club, The Society of Authors and an Honorary member of The Association of Jewish Refugees.

Reviews

[Chris Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

During WWI and WWII, British intelligence was in its early stages of becoming a big intelligence agency. When Germany invaded Europe, the beginning of two intelligence services began a great endeavor to collect, transport, and analyze intelligence to Allied forces. The birth of the White Lady and Clarence Service started a movement of equality with men and women given the same opportunity and military ranking. In the end, all risks there lived with history now able to showcase their incredible achievements.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Week on History Happy Hour: During WWI, The White Lady network helped Britain by acting as couriers, radio operators and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service.
 
We will talk with HHH Alum Helen Fry to chart the history of these pivotal intelligence networks from her latest book, The White Lady.