Noor Inayat-Khan

A Woman of Conspicuous Courage

Chapter 4:
Training

“Noor always had a smile or a pleasant word for others, despite the hard knocks they had to take while training and the tedious nature of the job.”

Dorothy Ryman, Colleague

Struggles & Doubts

Throughout training, agents were assessed on their personality and psychological state as much as their practical skills. Enthusiasm and confidence counted for as much as technical ability. Although Noor had excellent radio skills, she struggled with physical tasks such as parachute jumping and regimental routines, and disliked handling weapons.

Opinion was divided on her suitability for undercover work.

The hardest thing for her, though, was to pretend to be someone she was not.

Noor was honest and open and did not want to lie. Her instructors called it ‘lack of ruse’. They were also worried she could not disappear into a crowd.

At Beaulieu, agents were subjected to mock interrogations held in the dead of night by people dressed in Gestapo (Nazi secret police) uniforms. Under the glare of bright lights and in the face of intense shouting, Noor was so terrified she nearly lost her voice.

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