Secret Servants of the Crown: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence

Written by Claire Hubbard-Hall

Narrated by Anne Flosnik

Drawing on private and previously classified documents, this definitive history of women's contributions to the intelligence services is the first authoritative account of the hidden female army of clerks, typists, telephonists, and secretaries who were the cornerstone of the British secret state across two world wars and beyond.



A must-listen for fans of A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell and The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy.



To the undiscerning eye, they were secretaries, typists, personal assistants, and telephonists. But those innocuous job titles provided the perfect cover for what were in reality a range of complex technical, clerical, and occupational roles. Often overlooked and underestimated by outsiders, the women of British intelligence encoded, decoded, and translated enemy messages, wrote propaganda, and oversaw agents, performing duties as diverse as they were indispensable.



Drawing on extensive research and unique access to family archives, Claire portrays many of these remarkable figures—including the brilliant, multi-lingual Lunn sisters, glamorous spy Olga Gray; and Jane Sissmore, MI5's first female officer—and reconsiders the priceless contributions they made.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Feb 25, 2025
• ISBN: 9781696618601

Claire Hubbard-Hall

Claire Hubbard-Hall is a writer and historian who specialises in the history of secret intelligence. She has held lecturing posts in several British universities and is an honorary Associate Professor of Intelligence History. She has contributed to television documentaries and written for popular history magazines. Her Secret Service is her first book. She is based in Lincolnshire, UK.

Reviews for Secret Servants of the Crown

[the.book.butler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Secrets Servants of the Crown offers both the individual and collective history of women who served in Britain's intelligence service. The service of women has often been overlooked or dismissed as menial, Claire Hubbard-Hall tells us the contribution of women behind the scenes. She uses the experiences of individuals to weave an intricate, insightful depiction that instead of menial, the rolls women played are the threads that hold everything together. A good read for anyone interested in history of subterfuge and/or women.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

British-history, British-intelligence, cold-war-era, women-in-history, historical, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, nonfiction, detailed, espionage****

Learning about this group of women was enlightening and has the research to back it up.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected reader's proof from Kensington Publishing | Citadel via NetGalley.
Avail Feb 25, 2025 #SecretServantsoftheCrown by Claire Hubbard-Hall #NetGalley @KensingtonPublishing #Citadel @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones ***** #Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk #Nonfiction #Espionage #ColdWarEra #BritishIntelligence #WellDocumented