I Am Not Afraid of Looking into the Rifles: Women of the Resistance in World War One

The Lady 'Fascinating Kavita Puri, BBC History Magazine 'A fierce, intense picture of this aspect of the war . . . it will stay with me Elizabeth Buchan, author of Two Women in Rome 'On the evening of 31 March 1916, a 23-year-old woman was led from her prison cell in occupied Brussels. She wore a long blue coat and walked 'like a soldier. The chaplain asked if she would like a blindfold before her execution. 'I am not afraid of looking into the rifles,' she replied. 'I have been expecting this for a long time.' This is not a traditional history of the First World War. It is the untold story of the women of the resistance in Belgium and occupied France during that conflict. Rick Stroud describes how the actions of eight exceptionally brave women affected the course of the war. Before the Germans invaded, they were ordinary people: some, like Gabrielle Petit, were working-class; some, like Edith Cavell, were from the bourgeoisie; and some, like the Princess de Croÿ, were from the upper echelons of society. The youngest was only twenty-one. The women took enormous risks and produced extraordinary results: they established underground networks, transmitted coded information, carried out sabotage attacks, and helped to repatriate Allied soldiers. What they did was dangerous and exhausting, and the penalties were severe: three faced the firing squad.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 29 February 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

The Lady is a thrilling narrative that paints an extraordinary picture of female resistance during the First World War. The book, written by Kavita Puri and published in BBC History Magazine, offers a fierce and intense portrayal of this aspect of the war. Elizabeth Buchan, the author of Two Women in Rome, praised it as a "fierce, intense picture of this aspect of the war. It will stay with me."

On the evening of March 31, 1916, a 23-year-old woman was led from her prison cell in occupied Brussels. She wore a long blue coat and walked with a soldier's gait. The chaplain asked if she would like a blindfold before her execution. To which she replied, "I am not afraid of looking into the rifles. I have been expecting this for a long time."

This is not a traditional history of the First World War. Rather, it is the untold story of the women of the resistance in Belgium and occupied France during that conflict. Rick Stroud, the author, describes how the actions of eight exceptionally brave women had a significant impact on the course of the war. Before the Germans invaded, these women were ordinary people from various backgrounds: some were working-class, others were from the bourgeoisie, and some were from the upper echelons of society. The youngest was only twenty-one.

The women took enormous risks and achieved extraordinary results. They established underground networks, transmitted coded information, carried out sabotage attacks, and helped to repatriate Allied soldiers. Their work was dangerous and exhausting, and the penalties were severe. Three of them faced the firing squad.

Recounting their heroism and their inevitable tragedies, I Am Not Afraid of Looking into the Rifles is an enthralling story, beautifully told. Through this book, Rick Stroud introduces readers to an entirely new version of the "war to end all wars." The women of the resistance played a crucial role in shaping the outcome of the conflict, and their stories deserve to be remembered and celebrated.

Weight: 504g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781398507067