Timeline of SOE French Section

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November 1942

Gilbert Norman arrived in France to join the Prosper Network.
George Starr arrived by boat on the Mediterranean coast of France. The return voyage carried his brother John Starr out of France following his first uneventful mission.

December 1942

Jack Agazarian arrived in Paris to join the Prosper Network

May 1943

May 13/14
Vera Leigh, Julienne Aisner, Sidney Jones and Marcel Clech arrived by Lysander at a location in the Cher Valley, near Tours and were met by F Section's air movements officer Henri Dericourt. The return flight carried Francis Suttill, leader of the Prosper Network, back to England.

June 1943

June 16
Diana Rowden Noor Inayat Khan and Cecily Lefort arrived by air at a location north-east of Angers in the Loire Valley, where they were met by Henri Dericourt.
Jack Agazarian returned from France to England.


June 23
Andrée Borrel, Francis Suttill and Gilbert Norman were arrested

July 1943

July 22
Nicholas Bodington and Jack Agazarian returned to France to investigate the fate of the Prosper Network.
Jack Agazarian was arrested at a rendezvous in the rue de Rome near Gare Saint-Lazare, which was a trap set the Germans.

October 1943

October 30
Vera Leigh was arrested at a café near the Place des Ternes in Paris and taken to Fresnes prison.

November 1943

November 18
Diana Rowden and John Young were arrested at Clairvaux-les-Lacs, near Lons-le-Saunier.
November 19
Diana Rowden was taken to 84 Avenue Foch where she was interrogated for two weeks.
Diana Rowden was moved from 84 Avenue Foch to Fresnes prison.

May 1944

May 13
Vera Leigh, Andrée Borrel, Odette Sansom, Diana Rowden, Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman and Madeleine Damerment were taken from Fresnes prison to 84 Avenue Foch. NB - this may contradict what follows ! Further research needed.'
Diana Rowden, Sonya Olschanezky, Andrée Borrel, Yolande Beekman, Vera Leigh, Eliane Plewman, Odette Sansom-Hallowes and Madeleine Damerment were moved to concentration camps in Germany.

September 1944

September 6
Gilbert Norman was executed at Mauthausen concentration camp

March 1945

March 29
Jack Agazarian was executed at Flossenbürg concentration camp.