Noor Inayat Khan Transcript

Noor Inayat Khan Transcript In the heart of Bloomsbury lies the leafy and peaceful oasis of Gordon Square, today a magnet for workers who come to escape the roaring metropolis. But it was here that a delicate and dreamy little girl would once come to play with her brother and disappear into a world of imagination where fairies would spring from behind trees, and where she felt safe and happy. Two decades later that same young girl, a newly trained secret agent, would be dropped behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied France on a dangerous mission she knew may end her life. Today we celebrate an exceptional woman whose faith and belief in the human spirit enabled her to display unimaginable courage. We remember Noor Inayat Khan. As New Year dawned on a freezing and snow covered Moscow in 1914, baby Noor was born. Her mother Ora Ray was American and her Indian father Hazrat Inayat Khan was a Sufi preacher and talented musician. He had been raised in Western India to a family descended from the legendary “Tiger of Mysore” Tipu Sultan, one of India's greatest warrior princes. Inayat Khan had left his homeland in 1910 with instructions to take Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism, to the west. In America he toured the country with the Royal Musicians of Hindustan and in San Francisco met Ora Ray who was entranced by Inayat Khan. Neither family however approved and he set sail for Europe without her. In Paris the group were engaged by the exotic dancer Mata Hari, who would later faced the firing squad, accused of spying for the Germans in WWI. But having been finally joined by Ora Ray, the two were married in London and soon moved with the group to Moscow, where Noor was born. Inayat Khan loved the culture of Moscow, but it was a city simmering with political discontent and the family had to suddenly leave. As they did so, riots broke out and barricades blocked their path. As crowds surged around their sledge Inayat Kahn swathed in golden robes and with his flowing beard, held baby Noor aloft and he made such an impression, that the hoard fell silent and let the family through. They made their way to Paris, but with the outbreak of WWI in August the family moved the relative safety of London. !1 The war years were tough and the family faced poverty and hardship. Despite India backing the war effort, the British government were suspicious of Inayat Khan and kept a close eye on him. Noor’s baby brother Vilayat was born at this time. She adored him and the two would be close throughout her life. Soon another brother and sister were born and the family moved to Gordon Square in Bloomsbury before, moving back to Paris after the war and settling in the hilly district of Suresnes. Their home they named Fazal Manzi meaning the House of Blessing. Noor would love to sit on the garden steps gazing out at the Eiffel Tower and Paris lit up below. The atmosphere at home was very much Indian and the children would love to dress in brightly coloured saris and turbans to perform short plays together. With their father working away from home, Noor would pass the time playing imaginative games and writing poems. English was the family’s first language and she became fluent in French. Noor’s heroine was Joan of Arc and she loved to tell stories about self sacrifice and chivalry. She was a talented musician, playing the piano and later the harp and she would make hand- painted cards for the family with poems inside. She was happy and thoughtful and from an early age conscious of those less privileged than her. In 1925 Inayat Khan became seriously ill. He decided to go back to the land of this birth and the family knew that he would not return. On 5 February 1927, Noor’s father died in Delhi. On hearing the news her mother was overwhelmed with grief, becoming frail and confining herself to her room. At the age of only 13, Noor took on the care of the family and running of the house. Desperately sad for her grieving mother, she would write poems to try and show her how much their father still loved her. At 17 having got her Baccalaureate and left school, for the next 6 years she was to study music in Paris. All 4 children were musical and they would play together in a quartet. Noor also studied child psychology. Her uncles were now in charge of the house and life became more conservative and male dominated. Music was encouraged, but not academic or intellectual pursuits and the ambitions of the girls were seen as unimportant. !2 Noor fell in love and became engaged to a fellow music student named Goldberg. Poor, Turkish and Jewish, her family disapproved. The relationship was to last for 6 years, but it was not straightforward and would make Noor ill at times. In her twenties she travelled to Europe. Then back in Paris she was becoming established as a successful children’s writer. However, on 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland and 2 days later war broke out. The Nazi ideology was abhorrent to Noor and opposed to all she believed in. On 4 June 1940 as the German’s were on the point of invading France, Noor and her brother Vilayat sat down at home to discuss their future. Though pacifists, they felt they were compelled to do something. They decided they must go to England and join the war effort. Vilayat would join up and Noor would find a way to help however she could. The following day the family left Paris with two thirds of the population, refugees fleeing the advancing German army. Low-flying planes dropped bombs indiscriminately overhead, killing innocent civilians as they fled, which only served to strengthen Noor’s resolve. After a dramatic trip to Bordeaux the family boarded the last ship for British subjects bound for England. As the family looked back to France, Noor was determined to return. In England Noor met Jean Overton Fuller who would later become her biographer. She describes Noor as of small build with brown hair, hazel eyes and a gentle voice, high pitched and faint. Her accent was a curious mixture of Indian, English, French and American and she spoke little. By now the Battle of Britain was raging in the skies above. Fighting could be seen from below as British spitfires took on the German Luftwaffe and in September the Blitz began, with bombs raining over London. It was a time of blackouts, air-raid sirens, and ration cards. Posters urged women to serve their country in one of the auxiliary forces. Noor volunteered to join the Woman’s Auxiliary Airforce and was chosen to be trained as a wireless operator in Harrogate. Having made good progress she then spent 6 months in Edinburgh where she worked hard memorising morse code and building up her speed. She excelled and was remembered later for her gentle personality and sportsmanship. !3 Further signal training followed in Abingdon, near Oxford where hours were long and the work was technical. Noor was an accomplished operator, proving herself better than many of the men and aways ready to help. One day, whilst cycling in the countryside with her friend Joan, she spoke of her dreams after the war of resuming her writing career, playing music, marriage and lots of children. Over the next few months Noor continued to excel and was promoted. Little did she know that she was being watched and on the 10 November 1942 Noor was called for a secret interview, supposedly with the War Office. The brief said “ Has interesting linguistic qualifications which might make her of value for operational purposes”. She was about to be recruited as a secret agent. The Secret Operations Executive or SOE was a secret service set up by Churchill to sabotage the German war effort and support resistance movements in occupied countries Language was crucial to recruitment and there was a strict vetting process. It was vital that an applicant have no trace of a British accent and must speak French like a native. Psychologists were involved in the interview process as the agents would often be working alone in a foreign country, under considerable strain. There was no uniform and no protection. If caught it would mean almost certain death. The decision to use women was made as they would find it easier to move around under cover of shopping and daily chores and would be less likely to be questioned than men. Unusually Noor was recruited after just one interview. She was careful, tidy, painstaking and patient, perfect for the job. It was made clear that if caught she would face interrogation and be shot. She accepted without hesitation. She was enrolled in the First Aid and Nursing Yeomanry which was the usual cover for women agents. On a February day 1943 Noor simply disappeared. No explanation was given and all that was left were her blankets neatly folded on her bed. Her colleagues would not hear of her again until she was awarded the George Cross after the war. Recruits spoke French at all times. They learnt unarmed combat, how to handle explosives, map reading, physical training and sabotage. Noor, with her pacifist background, was uncomfortable handling weapons, but she was determined not to fail. Selected as wireless operator, this was one of the most dangerous roles in the field.

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