Uncover Beaulieu’s history as a top secret training establishment for special agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War Two.
Over 3,000 SOE agents were trained in the dark arts of warfare at Beaulieu before undertaking daring and dangerous missions behind enemy lines.
THE AGENTS
The Secret Army Exhibition will introduce you to the special agents who answered Winston Churchill’s call to `set Europe ablaze`, join the SOE and work with resistance groups in enemy occupied countries. All were heroes. Many would never return, whilst others faced capture and suffered torture at the hands of the Nazis and their allies.
THE TRAINING
Find out how they trained, what they learned at Beaulieu and how their gallant actions helped ensure Allied victory in World War Two. Real stories of incredible exploits, artefacts and photographs shine a light on this clandestine `finishing school` for SOE agents.
NEw – Special Exhibition
A special exhibition has opened commemorating two Beaulieu-trained agents who served in France as members of the Special Operations Executive. Francis Suttill (code name ‘Prosper’) headed the biggest SOE network in France, while Yvonne Rudellat (code name ‘Jacqueline’) was one of his couriers. The display recounts what happened to them after they finished their training at Beaulieu and were sent into Occupied France to undertake clandestine warfare.
The exhibition was researched and curated by Lady Montagu in close collaboration with surviving relatives of the two agents, and features previously unseen family photos. This is the first exhibition ever specifically devoted to these two agents, and includes two short films examining the personalities and private lives of both individuals, in an effort to show the real people behind the exploits, and the sacrifice they made.
It opens in the year of the 80th anniversary of the fall of the Prosper network, when both agents were captured.
Planning your day?
To help you make the most of your visit, we’ve put together some suggested itineraries with hints and tips to help you plan your day out at Beaulieu.
I couldn't leave without visiting the Secret Army exhibition which gave an insight into the world of the S.O.E.s.