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A blue plaque commemorates Nur Inayet Khan, a Muslim spy during World War II, who lived in the Bloomsbury area of London. In homes where famous people live in Britain, these blue plaques are often placed to remind them of the memory. However, this is the first time such a blue plaque has been erected at the home of an Indian woman in Britain.
Nur Inayet Khan was a British spy in World War II. He worked for the British Government’s Special Operations Executive (SOE). The agency sent spies to the countries occupied by Germany. The goal was to help countries fighting against the Nazi occupation. Nur Inayet Khan was sent to Paris. It is believed that he was the first Muslim female spy to work against Germany in World War II.
Nur Inayet Khan was captured by the German secret police ‘Gestapo’. He died in a concentration camp in September 1944.
The way Nur Inayet Khan became a spy
Nur Inayet Khan was born in Moscow. Her father was an Indian and her mother was an American citizen. His father came from an Indian royal family. They lived in London and Paris. When Nur Inayet Khan was only 13 years old, his father died. Then he has to take responsibility for helping his mother and other siblings.
He had a great interest in music. With that in writing for children. These articles were published in France, the United States and Great Britain. When Germany occupied France, Nur and his family fled to England. She joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in November 1940.
Towards the end of 1942 he was hired as a radio operator in the Special Operations Executive (SOE). SOE agents were trained to fight. As well as radio and telegraph management. So that the enemy’s plan can be thwarted. They often had to carry a variety of secret weapons and equipment. Like an umbrella or a pen full of explosives that can be hidden in a pipe. Much like the kind of secret weapon that was later shown in the James Bond movie.
Their missions were quite dangerous. Many knew that they might not return after the expedition. However, they accepted this risk. Nur Inayet Khan’s job was to send secret messages to London. It was quite a dangerous job.
However, he risked his life to gather secret information and went after the enemy. It was parachuted into German-occupied France. Nur Enayet Khan’s codename was ‘Madeline’ and she joined hundreds of other spies working in France at the time.
Within days of Nur’s arrival in France, many spies were caught on his SEO network. However, Nur decided to stay in France. He wandered from place to place to avoid arrest. He was caught working on his first mission. However, he escaped from prison. A few months later, he was arrested again.
He was taken to a concentration camp with three other spies. The German prison guards starved him to death for almost a year. Even then, Nur Enayet Khan refused to release any secret information.
Nur Inayet Khan received the George Cross for bravery. It is one of the most important military titles of heroism in Britain. She was one of only three women to receive the title in World War II.
Source: BBC Bangla.
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