Operation Moonlight
England 1944. A local paper’s request for photographs of the French coast prompts bilingual secretary Elisabeth to submit some holiday snaps taken by her Anglo-French parents. This, and having “the look of a Frenchwoman,” piques the SOE’s interest. They recruit her as a spy and, terrified, she parachutes into Nazi-occupied France. Once there, whilst preparing to contact resistance leaders in Rouen, she becomes immersed in the deprivations of the subjugated locals. She endures awful hunger, suffers a fearsome brutal assault, and witnesses the haunting desperation of those on a death-camp train. A crucial sabotage mission is then entrusted to her, and she faces further extreme danger as she attempts to justify her training and do her duty. She survives, just, returning as a broken woman guarding a tragic, violent secret. In 2018, as ‘Madame Betty’ approaches her 100th birthday, the side-story of her Mauritian-born carer, Tali, reveals other facets of Elisabeth’s life as Tali pieces them together from items found in a hidden suitcase.
This excellent story, told in present reminiscences and past deeds, is as much about caring for others as it is about wartime exploits. As time inevitably distances us from such events, this book importantly recalls and honours the selfless bravery not only of those who ventured there alone but also all who stood firm within occupied territories. No spoiler, but I’d have liked Elisabeth to be 100% truthful at her debrief and hang the consequences; her actions were totally justifiable. Nevertheless, a very fine tale indeed.
