After saying farewell to our sadly departed veteran, Stanley Booker, and while in the same part of the country, the opportunity was taken to visit the SOE exhibition that is housed in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. In addition to the permanent ‘Secret Army’ displays, an excellent special exhibition has opened commemorating two Beaulieu-trained agents who served in France as members of F Section of the Special Operations Executive. Francis Suttill (code name PHSICIAN, field name Prosper) headed an extensive network in France, while Yvonne Rudellat (code name SOAPTREE, field name Jacqueline) was a courier for one of his sub-circuits. The display recounts what happened to them after they finished their training at Beaulieu and were sent into Occupied France to undertake clandestine warfare.

The exhibition was researched and curated by Lady Montagu in close collaboration with surviving relatives of the two agents, namely Julie Clamp (subscribed Friend of Secret WW2 and granddaughter of Yvonne Rudellat) and Francis Suttill jnr – known to many in our Network, recently relocated to Australia. The special exhibition features previously unseen family photos and is the first exhibition ever specifically devoted to these two agents. It includes two short films examining the personalities and private lives of both individuals, in an effort to show the real people behind the exploits, and the ultimate sacrifice that they both made.

It opened in 2023, the year of the 80th anniversary of the fall of the Prosper network, when both agents were captured. For further details, see: Secret Army Exhibition.

The SOE exhibition in general is a permanent one and, though relatively small, is well worth a visit. It benefits fro a range of artefacts provided by avid SOE-collector Clive Bassett, a subscribed Friend of SECRET WW2.

               

 

Above, l to r: Francis Suttill with wife Margaret; Yvonne Rudellat. Photos provided by Francis Suttill jnr and Julie Clamp.