Peter Morland Churchill (14 Jan 1909-1 May 1972), was the son of William Algernon Churchill,a British Consul and art connoisseur,and Violet Myers,a classical singer.His brothers were RAF pilot Walter Churchill, and Oliver Churchill, also an SOE officer.He studied at Malvern School.He read Modern Languages at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.He excelled at linguistics and sports.He then worked in the British diplomatic service.From September 1939-August 1940, he worked in the Home Office Advisory Committee and later became its president.

In WWII, he was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps and also underwent commando training.In April 1941,he joined the Special Operations Executive and was assigned to the French Section in June 1941.He was infiltrated into France 4 times, and spent 225 days behind enemy lines.His third mission was to organise and coordinate the SOE F Section "Spindle" Network in Cannes which directed the delivery of supplies to support the CARTE Organisation run by André Girard.Among his couriers was Odette Sansom «Lise», with whom he was to develop a close relationship and subsequently marry in 1947. Adolphe Rabinovitch «Arnaud» was his wireless operator.In November 1942, a CARTE courier, André Marsac, was arrested in Paris by Abwehr intelligence officer Hugo Bleicher and his interrogation in Fresnes prison led to the arrest of another CARTE member, Roger Bardet.Bardet became a double agent, and was released.They revealed the SPINDLE network to Bleicher.In April 1943, Bleicher arrested Churchill and Sansom. He claimed he was related to Winston Churchill and that they were a married couple to make themselves seem more valuable prisoners and and less likely to be executed as spies.They were sent to Fresnes Prison and then different concentration camps, both escaped execution, but they were tortured.On May 4th, 1945, Peter was liberated by the Americans.

The 1950 film Odette recounted their wartime exploits. Peter and Odette divorced in 1956.In 1957, Peter remarried to former model, Irene Hoyle.
He continued to live in France after the war, settling in Le Rouret near Cannes, where he worked as a real estate agent.

This is the fascinating true story of this extremely brave SOE officer and partly covers his former wife Odette’s tale as well. A fluent French speaker, excellent athlete, and a highly intelligent ma, Peter Churchill was seemingly the perfect choice for the SOE. However, he tended to be a bit impulsive and careless, qualities for which he paid a heavy price.

This well-researched and clearly written book covers his missions to France, his working relationships with his French colleagues and his romance. The story of the controversy surrounding the film about Odette and his time in the SOE is especially interesting.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This complete account of Peter Churchills wartime activities with the British Army and the SOE in France, brings together all the various elements that have been available in the public domain at various times since the end of WWII. The detail that the author extracts from these elements reads like a fictional novel by Ian Fleming but nevertheless is true and the reader can imagine a documentary in the future that would bring his amazing life to a wider audience in the 21st Century.

The content in the book is important to us today as it shows the initiative, resilience and bravery of those fighting the NAZI regime, the cooperation that can be achieved amongst disparate groups despite personal disagreements and rivalries. Peter Churchill was adept in fooling his adversaries over his name and let them believe he was related to the British Prime Minister using that assumption for his own ultimate survival.

An excellent read