Beaulieu supports the Royal British Legion with the launch of special Secret Operations Poppy Brooch

The special-edition brooch, limited in production, has been crafted to honour the courageous women who played pivotal roles as special operation agents in the Second World War.

Despite the Geneva Convention initially prohibiting women from bearing arms during the second world war, from 1942 onwards, the Special Operations Executive, under the direction of Winston Churchill began recruiting women agents to undertake missions.

These women weren’t subject to conventional military rules but were trained and treated in the same way as the men.  Many of them were positioned and trained at Beaulieu and their service helped win the Second World War – sadly, however, many never returned home.

The brooch has been designed by the Royal British Legion and showcases a rich red poppy, symbolising remembrance and resilience, with a radiant rhinestone cluster at its centre, representing the spark of hope and bravery these women carried with them. Each comes with an insert that shares the story of one of these Special Operations Executive agents. Beaulieu worked with the Royal British Legion to share information from their archives and exhibition to help tell the stories of these brave women, including Maria Krystyna Janina Skarbek, Odette Marie Céline Sansom, Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan, Yvonne Claire Rudellat and Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo.

These limited-edition brooches are priced at £28 and are available online from the Royal British Legion Poppy Shop. A limited number are also available for visitors to purchase from the Beaulieu Gift Shop. Visitors to Beaulieu can learn more about the Estate’s role as a top-secret training establishment for special agents by visiting the Secret Army Exhibition which tells the story of these remarkable women as well as the 3,000 other SOE agents who were trained in the dark arts of warfare before undertaking daring and dangerous missions behind enemy lines.