Noor Inayat Khan

Noor Inayat Khan, GC MBE (1914–1944) was a British spy who served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in WWII. Born in Moscow to an American mother and Indian father, she lived in both France and Britain before the war and was an ideal recruit for the Special Operations Executive. Codenamed Madeleine, she was the first female wireless operator to go from the UK into occupied France to assist the French Resistance and send messages to the Allies. She was betrayed and captured, but gave nothing away. She was executed at Dachau concentration camp. She was posthumously awarded the George Cross and the Croix de Guerre for her service in the SOE. This bronze portrait bust was commissioned by the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust and unveiled in 2012. She lived near Gordon Square and used to read there.

Location: Gordon Square, London WC1.