Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust

General information

Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of the legendary Tipu Sultan, was a secret agent in the Second World War. She was infiltrated into France by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Churchill's Secret Organisation that sought to "set Europe ablaze".

Armed with only a false passport and a pistol, the beautiful and gentle Noor became the first woman radio operator to be sent to occupied Paris. She worked under the code name Madeline.

However, she was betrayed and captured by the Germans. Despite being repeatedly tortured and interrogated, she revealed nothing. She was executed by an SS officer on September 13, 1944 at Dachau Concentration Camp. She was only 30.

Britain posthumously awarded her the George Cross for her extraordinary bravery, and France honoured her with Criox de Guerre.

Noor sacrificed her life for freedom, and is an icon of bravery for our young people. She crossed all borders of religion or country - she was a Muslim who died for the Jews, and an Indian who volunteered for England and France.