She was one of the last surviving veterans of a top secret organisation with links to the New Forest.
During the Second World War, Noreen Riols worked for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which carried out clandestine operations behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Europe.
Ms Riols, who has died aged 98, was based at SOE's "finishing school" on the Beaulieu Estate.
One of her tasks was to pinpoint potential security risks by taking part in "honeytrap" missions. Working undercover, she introduced herself to trainee agents who had been deposited in Southampton or Bournemouth and tried to charm them into revealing secret information.
An exhibition about the Special Operations Executive has been opened in the grounds of Palace House, Beaulieu (Image: Beaulieu Enterprises)
Those who failed the test were often furious with Ms Riols when they discovered who she really was.
Recalling one of the encounters many years later, she said: "He called me a bitch. I'll never forget the look of horror that I had betrayed him. I felt terrible."
When she received her call-up papers in 1943 Ms Riols applied to join the Wrens because she liked the hats they wore. But she was recruited by SOE because she spoke fluent French.
The teenager was warned not to tell anyone about her work and always claimed she was a secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
READ MORE: Russian-born SOE agent who trained at Beaulieu was dubbed the bravest of the brave
After the war, Ms Riols joined the BBC World Service, working as a journalist before embarking on a new career as a novelist. Her former role remained a secret until 2000, when the government released SOE files.
An exhibition about the Special Operations Executive has been opened in the grounds of Palace House, Beaulieu (Image: Beaulieu)
In 2013 she attended the Cheltenham Literature Festival to discuss her recently published autobiography The Secret Ministry of Ag. & Fish: My Life in Churchill’s School for Spies.
READ MORE: Princess Royal visits Beaulieu to honour 60 years of special operations
Describing the secret life led by SOE agents, many of whom never returned, she said it was far from glamorous.
“It’s a life of fear, of tension, of betrayal and that dread of the hammering on the door in the middle of the night or that tap on the shoulder with the gun pointing into your back.
“You know the game is up and all that remains is being tortured, the concentration camp and the possibility of execution in the most barbaric manner.”
In 2014 Ms Riols was awarded France's highest accolade, the Légion d'Honneur, which was followed in 2023 by an MBE for services to UK/France relations. She dedicated the MBE to the memory of her SOE comrades.
Her funeral will be held on Monday, January 13, near her home in Marly-le-Roi, west of Paris.
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