Her Secret Service cover art

Her Secret Service

The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence

Preview
Subscribe now Free with 30-day trial
Offer ends on 14 April, 2026 at 23:59.
Prime logo
Pay ₹5/month for 2 months and ₹199/month after 2 months, Cancel anytime. Offer ends on 14 April 2026 at 23:59. Take this offer!
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep.
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks.
Download titles to your library and listen offline.
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Her Secret Service

Written by: Claire Hubbard-Hall
Narrated by: Jilly Bond
Subscribe now Free with 30-day trial

Pay ₹5/month for 2 months and ₹199/month after 2 months, Cancel anytime. Offer ends on 14 April 2026 at 23:59.

₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹500.00

Buy Now for ₹500.00

LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 2 Months for ₹5/month

About this listen

'Beautiful written and elegiac . . . a masterpiece' Damien Lewis, author of multiple Sunday Times Bestsellers
'Riveting, original and scrupulously researched' Richard J Aldrich, author of GCHQ
'Phenomenal . . . genuinely pioneering, undoubtedly necessary and a great read' Rory Cormac, author of How to Stage a Coup

Since the inception of the Secret Service Bureau back in 1909, women have worked at the very heart of British secret intelligence - yet their contributions have been all but written out of history. Now, drawing on private and previously-classified documents, leading historian Claire Hubbard-Hall brings their gripping true stories to life.

From encoding orders and decrypting enemy messages to penning propaganda and infiltrating organisations, the women of British intelligence played a pivotal role in both the First and Second World Wars. Prepare to meet the true custodians of Britain's military secrets, from Kathleen Pettigrew, personal assistant to the Chief of MI6 Stewart Menzies, who late in life declared 'I was Miss Moneypenny, but with more power', to Jane Archer, the very first female MI5 officer who raised suspicions about the Soviet spy Kim Philby long before he was officially unmasked and Winifred Spink, the first female officer ever sent to Russia in 1916. In Her Secret Service, Hubbard-Hall rescues these silenced voices and those of many other fascinating women from obscurity to provide a definitive account of women's contributions to the history of the intelligence services.©2024 Claire Hubbard-Hall
Europe Great Britain Military Women

Critic Reviews

Riveting, original and scrupulously researched, this remarkable work rescues the lost voices of Britain's intelligence services
Full of anecdote and insight, Claire Hubbard-Hall has crafted a fascinating history of the pivotal role played by women in the British intelligence services. A hugely enjoyable read
A phenomenal achievement . . . one of those rare books that is genuinely pioneering, undoubtedly necessary, and a great read. There is something new on every page
Beautifully written and elegiac . . . a masterpiece that showcases the incredible contribution made by Britain's female intelligence operatives at home and abroad. For those who went deep into harm's way, they had little more than their charm, intelligence, wit and beauty as a foil to the enemy's most cunning and vicious predations. An entrancing book showcasing women's long forgotten voices in espionage histories
Compelling and impeccably researched . . . Forget James Bond; these are the real heroines of British espionage
Pays tribute to the legions of women who devoted their lives to the British secret service but whose efforts went largely unacknowledged
Groundbreaking
Passionately and expertly uncovers remarkable stories of women as strategists, operational leaders and pioneers who contributed significantly to the outcomes of both world wars and to the development of intelligence during the interwar period
No reviews yet