A stone’s throw away from the House of Commons and Westminster Abbey lies the St. Ermin’s Hotel in London. Apart from being one of the best addresses in the City, the iconic establishment hosted Winston Churchill, who liked to sip his favourite Champagne at the Caxton Bar. There was even a secret tunnel linking the hotel lobby to Parliament. During a meeting at St. Emin’s, he asked a group of unconventional people to “Set Europe Ablaze” in founding the Special Operations Executive – the legendary SOE. Any visitor to St. Ermin’s can enjoy the sight of a monastic-sized room where the contribution of its members is soberly showcased.

Thanks to a miniseries like SAS: Rogue Heroes, the inestimable achievements of the men and women who waged unconventional warfare in World War II’s most punishing conditions are vividly brought back to public awareness. Shannon Monaghan’s book A Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II (Viking) is another significant and euphemistically pleasant contribution. This enthralling book reminded me of Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers, the elite corps defending the King of France against domestic and foreign threats.

Continue reading “The Four Musketeers of the SOE” →