How did you start writing books?
I wrote my first book, Dambuster: A Life of Guy Gibson VC, because I wanted to know more about him and couldn’t find anything other than his own book, Enemy Coast Ahead, which he wrote before his untimely death in 1944, at 26 years old. I only ever intended to write one book myself, but suddenly found I couldn’t stop. I love finding out about inspirational people and events and passing on what I have found to others.
Before I gave up other work, I was a freelance copy editor and indexer. Prior to that, I spent 20 years in civil aviation working for four different airlines in Germany, England, and Australia, mainly in passenger services but also in load control, working on aircraft weight, balance, and load sheets.
What brought you to the story of the Nearne sisters?
I have always been interested in the work of the women agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), and in 2010 I listened to a radio news item telling of the death of an elderly lady, Eileen Nearne, who, it had been discovered, was an SOE agent in France during the Second World War but had never told anyone. I knew that to be untrue, as she had spoken to me about what she had done when I contacted her some years earlier about a book I was writing about another agent, Violette Szabo. Eileen had asked me not to tell anyone about her own work unless her name was disguised. I kept my promise to her until her death, although I thought it a pity that her story should remain untold, as she had obviously been an extremely brave young woman. So too had her elder sister, Jacqueline, also an SOE agent, about whom very little had been written. However, after Eileen’s death, my agent, Andrew Lownie, suggested that I should write the book. I contacted Eileen’s niece and gained her support for the project, as she too felt that the stories of both her brave aunts should now be told.
What do you hope your readers take away from reading this book?
War has traditionally been regarded as having been fought by men, with women’s roles being as nurses or keeping things running back home while waiting for the men to return. I wanted people to know that there were women who voluntarily put themselves in as much danger as the men. The feedback I have received, from both men and women, has shown that so many people were unaware of the work undertaken by these women and of the terrible conditions in which they were held when captured and the horrific suffering and deaths of those executed by the enemy. Although the story of Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne is one which appeals to men and women alike, it would be nice to think that young women, reading about the lives of these two girls, would be inspired by their story to achieve great things in their own lives.
What do you think is most notable about Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne?
The sisters showed that determination and belief in oneself allowed each of them to achieve things that most people would never have attempted. That belief also enabled them to endure terrible hardships, and ultimately they both spent the rest of their lives in the service of others.
What other writers have influenced your work?
There are several writers of both fiction and nonfiction books whose work inspired me to begin writing in the first place—Siegfried Sassoon, Ernest Hemingway, Chaz Bowyer, Leon Uris, E. M. Forster, to name just a few. I still love their work, but my current favorite is Ben Macintyre. His books are factual, full of detail, and yet are as easy to read and as compelling as the best novels.
What about the Nearne sisters do you think resonates the most today?
The bravery and modesty of the two young women. In an age where it is possible to publicize the most mundane, trivial details of one’s life, it is refreshing to come across two women who did great things but refused to boast about their actions, content in the knowledge that they had done their best.
What’s the nicest thing someone has said to you about your book?
“Can’t recommend it enough and should be compulsory at school.”