Cicely Lefort and the SOE

Early Life and Background

Cicely Margot Lefort (née Gordon) was born on 30 April 1899 in London, England [1, 4]. In 1925, she married a Frenchman, and the couple resided in Brittany [3]. Shortly before the German occupation of France in 1940, Lefort escaped back to England [3].

Recruitment and Training

During the early years of the Second World War, Lefort served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) between 1941 and 1942 [1]. Her French background and linguistic abilities made her a suitable candidate for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the British organization tasked with conducting espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe [1].

Lefort underwent training at SOE schools toward the end of 1942 [3]. Her instructors noted her as being “very lady like and very English in spite of her French background” [3].

Deployment and the Jockey Network

On the night of 16 June 1943, Lefort was deployed to France via an RAF Lysander aircraft from 161 Special Duty Squadron, landing near Tours [3]. She arrived as part of a wave of female agents; on 17 June 1943, she is recorded as having set out for France alongside other SOE agents Noor Inayat Khan and Diana Rowden, though all three were assigned to separate missions [2].

Lefort operated as a courier under the field name “Alice” [1, 3]. She was assigned to the Jockey network (or circuit), which operated in south-east France, primarily within the Drôme Department [1, 3]. As a courier, her role was essential for maintaining communication and providing logistics between different cells of the resistance and the SOE’s coordinating bodies.

Capture and Execution

On 15 September 1943, Lefort was present at a safehouse used by Raymond Daujat, a leader of the local resistance in the Montélimar area, and Pierre Reynaud, a sabotage instructor for the Jockey circuit [3]. When the Gestapo raided the property, Daujat and Reynaud were in the garden and managed to escape [3]. Lefort, however, attempted to hide in the cellar but was eventually captured by German troops [3]. It has been reported that the only incriminating evidence found in her possession was a piece of paper she was unable to explain [3].

Following her arrest, Lefort was deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany [1, 4]. She remained imprisoned there until February 1945, when she was executed at the age of 45 [1, 4].

Archival Records

Documentation regarding Cicely Lefort’s service and subsequent claims is held at The National Archives (Great Britain), specifically within the Special Operations Executive: Personnel Files (PF Series) and the Foreign Office: Claims Department: Correspondence and Claims Files [4].