Mary Katherine Herbert
| Mary Katherine Herbert | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Claudine |
| Born |
1 October 1903 Ireland |
| Died | 23 January 1983 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom, France |
| Service/branch |
Women's Auxiliary Air Force, Special Operations Executive, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry |
| Years of service | 1941 (WAAF) / 1942-1944 (SOE) |
| Unit | Scientist |
| Relations | Claude de Baissac, Lisé de Baissac |
Mary Katherine Herbert (also known as Maureen) (1 October 1903, Ireland – 23 January 1983) was a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II and worked as a courier for the French Section.
At the outbreak of war, Herbert worked in the British Embassy in Warsaw and then as a civilian translator in the Air Ministry in London. She joined the WAAF at RAF Innsworth on 19 September 1941 as a General Duties and Intelligence Clerk. She was released at her own request from the WAAF so she could join the SOE in March 1942.
In May 1942 Herbert joined the SOE. She was the first WAAF officer to volunteer, as she had been granted a retrospective commission with the rank of section officer dated from 15 January 1941.
Herbert trained with the second group of SOE women agents, including Odette Sansom, Jacqueline Nearne and Lisé de Baissac. They did not go to Scotland for training, but were predominantly trained at Special Training School 31 at Beaulieu. Peter Churchill's first impression of Herbert was that she was too fragile for the rigours of Resistance life. She was tall and slim with fair hair, religious, well educated and had a degree in art. She was also 39 years old when she joined the SOE.
Following her training, she landed by felucca off the south coast of France, having travelled from Plymouth via Gibraltar on 30 October 1942. On arrival in France she travelled to Bordeaux to act as a courier to the Scientistcircuit, using the codename Claudine. She travelled by bicycle and train, liaising with the different groups within Scientist, carrying messages, acting as a 'post-box for the members of the circuit and also seeking out safe houses and potential recruits. Additionally she helped to arrange and was present at parachute drops.
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