Free Spy Princess by Shrabani Basu Page B

reply – an apology and an appointment letter welcoming her to the WAAF. 4
    The WAAF was created in June 1939 to help out the RAF and train women to take up jobs so that men could go into the field. Thousands of women were recruited as telephonists, teleprinter operators, plotters and radar operators for RAF stations. By 1940 recruitment increased so as to release more men for flying duties. The Air Ministry Committee agreed that ‘no work should be done by a man if a woman could do it or be trained to do it’. The WAAF Commandant in Chief was the Queen and thousands of volunteers poured in.
    On 19 November 1940, Noor Inayat Khan joined the WAAF as 424598 ACW2 (Aircraftswoman 2nd Class). She was registered as Nora Inayat Khan with her religion given as C. of E. (Church of England). She chose the name Nora because it sounded closest to Noor. She gave her religion as Church of England to avoid complications. It was Vilayat’s experience while trying to register his name that led her to take this option. (The clerk had got so exasperated at trying to register Vilayat’s full name that he simply called him Vic. He made no attempt to find out the young man’s religion, simply entering him as Church of England.) Noor thought it best to follow suit. Her civil occupation was entered as a ‘writer’ and her other qualifications were given as ‘Fluent French’ 5 .
    Noor’s colleague Emily Hilda Preston remembered the day vividly. Once the girls were registered they went to the Grand Hotel at Harrogate to spend the first night. Thrilled with the novelty of it all, they jumped around on the soft luxurious beds. The next day they were taken to more modest accommodation at Ashville College. Noor was chosen with 40 other women for training in wireless operation becoming the first batch of WAAFs to be trained as radio operators. Emily was sent for training in telephony.
    The reason for selection as a wireless operator was completely random. Noor’s colleague, Irene Salter, recalled how she herself was selected. She had worn a jumper at the interview and was asked if she had knitted it herself. When she said ‘yes’, she was immediately sent for wireless training. Irene’s skill at knitting a patterned jumper had shown the board that she had nimble fingers, the necessary skill for a radio operator. The training at Harrogate included physical training, drill and races. Noor’s progress was marked with an A and her character was described as V.G. (Very Good). It was a whole new world for Noor. For the first time she became part of a group, wearing a uniform and marching with the other women for meals, lectures and training. The recruits slept in dormitories in the college and had to assemble their kit for a monthly inspection. It was cold and bare and unlike any place she had lived in, but she was determined to get used to it.
    A month later, on 23 December 1940, Noor was sent to Number 34 (Balloon Barrage) Group, RAF Balloon Command in Edinburgh where she was to spend the next six months training as a wireless telegraphist. Once again, Noor got an A in her signals training. Her character was always marked with a ‘V.G.’. Begum Amina now moved to Edinburgh to be near her.
    After some initial hesitation, Noor soon settled down with the other young women and began to enjoy the camaraderie of the services. Eager to do her best, she worked hard at her radio training, memorising her Morse code and trying to build up her speed.
    Irene Salter remembered Noor as a gentle, shy girl, who suffered terribly from chilblains and had to wear shoes two sizes larger than normal. She was also unable to grasp the Morse key because of her swollen fingers. 6 She remembered how when her mother joined Noor in Edinburgh, the girls were invited for tea in groups of two or three to meet the Begum. They found her warm and friendly and thoroughly enjoyed the tea and cakes she put out. Noor attended Church of England service with the girls on Sundays.