Secret Army Exhibition
This exhibition tells the story of the British and overseas members of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) who completed their secret training at the Beaulieu ‘Finishing School’ during World War ll.
Some 3,000 agents, including Andrée Borrell, Nancy Wake, Odette Sansome, Peter Churchill, Francis Cammaerts and Joachim Rønneberg, who later led the Gunnerside Mission to destroy the heavy water plant in Norway that was part of the German atomic bomb programme, were trained at a number of large country houses scattered across the Beaulieu Estate, before returning to occupied Europe to work with Resistance groups. Many paid the final sacrifice – and did not return.
At the ‘Finishing School’ students learnt a variety of skills including arson, assassination, codes and ciphers, disguises, sabotage and silent killing. Among their trainers were Hardy Amies, best known as dress designer to Queen Elizabeth ll and the King’s gamekeeper, William ‘Nobby’ Clark who taught agents to live off the land. Paul Dehn who later achieved fame as a notable Hollywood scriptwriter and Kim Philby, best remembered for his defection to Russia in 1963, taught propaganda.
Lord Montagu said of 'Secret Army': ”It has long been my wish to mount a permanent exhibition to highlight the valuable part Beaulieu played in the training of this secret army of agents and to honour the men and women who played such an important part in turning the tide of the Second World War. As a teenage boy at Eton, the secrets of these training establishments were kept from everyone, including me, so I am delighted that, with the assistance of the Special Forces Club, the story of these covert activities on my Estate can now be revealed.”
Visitors to the exhibition will be reminded why Britain was drawn into WWll and will discover how a scenic and serene Hampshire village became the base for sabotage and subversion. The exhibition will introduce visitors to the training schools, instructors, secret agents and unsung heroes of the SOE. Further displays describe agents’ training, recount secret missions and their outcomes and provide a learning zone for younger visitors. The audio/visual presentation will show how the ‘Finishing School’ operated in total secrecy for four years.
The exhibition can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction.
