Discover what it was like to be a secret agent in World War Two

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 8 October 2020

Chesterfield Museum is hosting a virtual event to help participants understand the role of the Special Operations Executive during World War Two.

The event will take place on Saturday 19 September from 10am and anyone can get involved by visiting the Chesterfield Museum Facebook page.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said:

The museum team have worked really hard to deliver their events digitally throughout this year and I know from the feedback and comments we have received that people have really enjoyed these events. I hope lots of people will take part in this event and take the opportunity to learn more about World War Two.

Originally, the event was scheduled to take place with a re-enactor from History’s Maid visiting the museum but as this is not possible due to the current restrictions, the team have put together online content where the re-enactor will talk about the Special Operations Executive.

The event kicks off at 10am with a talk called Handbags to Hand Grenades. This will tell the story of recruitment into the Special Operations Executive, which was a top-secret organisation set up by Winston Churchill. It covers the interview process, preliminary training, paramilitary course and parachute training. This includes being taught silent killing, how to use a Sten Gun, the use of incendiary cigarettes, Morse Code and how they forged identity cards.

Later in the day at 2pm another video talk called Moondrop to France will be released. This will tell the story of a secret agent who after completing and passing all her training is sent to France as a wireless operator. It highlights her constant fear of being discovered by the Germans, looks at what a coding silk is, outlines how intelligence reports were sent, and finally looks at how the job became more dangerous and difficult as D-Day approached.

To take part in the event head over to the Chesterfield Museum Facebook page at www.facebook.com/chesterfieldmuseum all the videos will remain on the page after the event so you can watch them at your convenience.

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