Noor and her family fled from occupied France to England following the outbreak of the Second World War. Strongly influenced by the Sufi teachings of their father, the Khan children remained committed pacifists. However, Noor and her brother Vilayat decided that merely opposing fascism was not sufficient; they felt morally obliged to play a more active role, but in a way which would not involve taking a life. For Noor, this meant volunteering for some of the most dangerous work of all: joining the Special Operations Executive, training as a radio operator, and becoming a secret agent.

A passionate believer in Indian independence, Noor had no reason to be a natural supporter of Britain itself. During her initial interview with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, she took the panel aback by remarking that, after the war, she might feel obliged to fight for India against the British. Nevertheless, she remained hopeful that her service might help to build understanding between the two countries:

‘I wish some Indians would win high military distinction in this war. If one or two could do something in the Allied service which was very brave …it would help to make a bridge between the English people and the Indians.’

Noor was the subject of more disagreements regarding her suitability as an agent than perhaps any other recruit. Her SOE report suggested she had ‘an unstable and temperamental personality …it is very doubtful whether she is really suited to work in the field’ (to which F Section chief Maurice Buckmaster retorted ‘Nonsense!’ in the margin). Intelligence officer Vera Atkins, who oversaw SOE recruitment, also remained convinced of Noor’s ability.

In the early hours of 17 June 1943, Noor became the first woman agent to be parachuted behind enemy lines in France (previous women had been sent as couriers). Her task was to maintain radio contact between Britain and the Resistance in Paris. This was an unbelievably dangerous job – radio equipment was bulky and hard to conceal, and staying on air for more than 20 minutes at a time risked detection by the enemy. The average lifespan of a field agent was just 6 weeks.

Noor evaded capture for three months, as the Paris Resistance network – which had been infiltrated by double agents more deeply than anyone had realised – began to disintegrate during the summer of 1943. In October, she was arrested at her Paris flat and taken to German security headquarters.

Noor made two immediate escape attempts (and refused to sign an agreement with her captors ruling out a third). Regarded as a particularly dangerous prisoner, she was kept in solitary confinement in Pforzheim prison for 10 months. Finally, Noor was transported to Dachau concentration camp, where she was executed in September 1944. Her last reported word was ‘Liberté’.