The Unlikely Love Story of an ‘Ordinary Mom’ Turned WWII Spy

Odette Sansom was like any other British girl. She grew up, got married, had three kids, and her life was on track. That is until World War II started. How Odette even became a spy was coincidental. All she did was respond to an official appeal for photographs of the French coast. But, by accident, she sent the photos to the wrong branch of the military. And thus, she caught the attention of the nation’s Special Operations Executive. Odette was completely unaware that at the time, the branch was desperate to send women spies into German-occupied France.

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

When Odette received an official letter, inviting her to come in for an interview with the SOE, she was horrified. The mother of three daughters didn’t want anything to do with espionage and didn’t feel like she was fit for such a job, anyways. But after she received terrible news about her own family members at the hands of the Germans, Odette felt a sense of obligation to contribute. She then embarked on a journey that would eventually mark her as Britain’s most decorated WWII spy. It also led her to her future second husband.

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